


Tied, Connected and Matched

by RedEndz



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Red String of Fate, Soulmates, Spoilers, Swearing, will add more as we go along - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-02-15 23:51:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13042116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedEndz/pseuds/RedEndz
Summary: The Red String of Fate: Regardless of space, time and situations, two people connected by a red string are destined lovers.When Goro was young and naive, he believed that there was someone out there for him. Someone who will accept for who he was. The red string tied to his pinky was the proof of that. However, he no longer believes such silly tales. It was nothing more than a child's wishful thoughts.Unfortunately, even his light-saber from the metaverse can't help him sever this connection.





	1. Cursed and Free

**Author's Note:**

> Well... I don't think I see any Red String of Fate for Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira fics. So...here it is? Maybe I missed them...Hmm...

Furniture that looked halfway to collapsing, wallpaper that was peeling off from the wall and creaky wooden floorboards. It was not the ideal house but at least he had his mother who took care of him well enough. It was enough, he was happy and the red string around his pinky indicated a happy future and possible partner for him. It was enough.

Goro was 8 years old when he noticed a piece of red string tied around his left pinky and it extended to somewhere unknown.It was weird and the feeling of something constantly being tied around his finger was uncomfortable. He tried every possible way he could think of to remove it from his pinky but failed to do so. For a simple piece of string, it was pretty resilient. He questioned his mother about the red string but was met with a puzzled expression before being shooed away for disrupting her cooking.

That was when he noticed that his mother had a red string tied around one of her pinky as well. It was on the same hand as him and looked to be the exact same as well. Again, he pointed that out to his mother. However, his mother had lost her patience with him and screamed at him to go to his bed. Young Goro hurriedly followed her instructions and scurried to his room. His mother was getting unstable lately and he did not want to worsen her condition. It was getting really scary how often she flared up or how often she cried alone when she thought he wasn't looking.

When he went to school the next day, he found out that he and his mother was not the only one bounded by a single red string. Everyone he saw on the way and at the school, everyone had a single red string around one of their pinky, a pair of students in his class even had their strings connected. He had no idea what it meant at that time. However, what was abnormal was the single black string tied around his homeroom teacher’s pinky and wrist. Every single string he saw extended to somewhere he cannot see but only that single black string stayed around his teacher's wrist. Goro was even more confused than before.

With his usual informant—his mother—not being an option, Goro went to the local bookstore to find out more information after school that day. Instead of friends from school, books were his constant companions ever since he can remember. Other children at the school did not like him due to him only having a single parent and they often laughed and bullied him. However, Goro paid no attention to them. His mother was enough for his small, little world. 

The old man behind the counter was nice and understood Goro's circumstances. He allowed Goro to read any books for free found in the store, provided that he took great care of them and return them to their proper position. It was never a problem for Goro when he loves books so much, especially the Featherman series. For hours, he stayed at the bookstore to look for information about the red string he was able to suddenly see yesterday.

He failed to gather much information about the red string from the bookstore. What he knew was the bare minimum. The Red String of Fate itself was considered a myth, a belief that was most likely false and unreal. All the books he found on the myth itself boiled down to two people connected by a red string are destined lovers regardless of space, time and situations. In other words, Soulmates. However, the small local bookstore failed to tell him anything about the rare black string he saw on his homeroom teacher. It was getting late and he had no choice but to head for home before his mother starts worrying about him. He thanked the old man politely before making his way back home.

Soon, his everyday life consisted of experimenting with his own red string and observing the people around him. From what he knew, he was the only one who could see the red strings connecting people and other than his own one, he can never touch those red strings with his bare hands. Those strings will never tangle with each other and they never seemed to break under anything. It was fun, to see what he can and what he cannot do to those strings that only he can see. There were a few times where he tried following his own red string, the desire to see the person at the end of the string was strong. However, every time he did that, he would need to turn back to prevent from getting too lost and worrying his mother. He believed that he will meet the other person sometime in his life. He can't wait for that to happen.

It was during winter when he found an odd thing about the red strings. With the dropping of temperature, everyone was wearing mittens or gloves to keep their hands warm and that was when Goro realized the number of strings he can see had dropped significantly. It did not take long for him to see the connection between the disappearance of the strings and the number of people wearing mittens. Curious, he tried wearing a pair of mittens himself and found out that he can no longer see his red string. In fact, any form of covering his left hand with anything caused the temporary disappearance of the red string. Hence, even though it was cold, even though his hands had turned red from the cold, he refused to wear any mittens despite the insistence of his mother. He wanted to see his own string as much as possible and Jack Frost was not going to stop him.

The day that he saw his dead mother will forever engrave itself in his mind. It will haunt him in both of his waking and sleeping hours, the failure to save his mother bothered him greatly but the hatred for his father outweighs that. He had just gone back home from school when he noticed the living room lights were not on. It was eerie how quiet and dark his own house was, it scared him and made him nervous. Taking off his shoes and placing them neatly on the floor, Goro stepped into his house calling for his mother. Nearing his mother’s bedroom, he was made aware of the half-open door which had never happen before as his mother was meticulous about such things. With shaking legs, he walked slowly towards the door before pushing it fully open gently and hesitantly.

He was a smart child. Despite his young age and little knowledge about the concept of death, he already knew what happened when he saw his mother hanging from the ceiling with a rope around her neck. That blood-red string on his mother's pinky flowed innocently around her, still trying to reach for that unknown person. His eyes widen in disbelief and he covered his mouth with both of his hands when he felt bile coming up from his throat. He threw up right there and then.

The house and his mother was enough for him but apparently, his mother was never satisfied. Young Goro did not know what to think about that. No, he did not want to think about it. He felt his own red string wrapped around his neck, choking him just like the piece of rope robbed his mother's life. The string was nowhere near his neck. He squatted there crying right beside his own puddle of vomit before passing out from shock.

The next time he woke up, it was at a hospital. The smell of strong disinfectant gagged him and made his head heavy. The bright light hurts his eyes and his heart was still in pieces. Everything after that was a blur of motions to him. People came and went so quickly that he did not even register their faces and any explanation the policemen told him became meaningless chatters. He was a smart child, he knew enough to draw his own conclusions. Everything happened too fast for him to react much and he was not given the time to properly grieve before being sent away to an orphanage. The only thing he knew was that he was all alone in this world now and his small, little world had just collapsed on him.

At first, he was taken to a local orphanage, a small building that held too many orphans but too little caretakers and volunteers. The food was nasty, the whole place was grimy and the people there were just downright awful. He cursed those uncaring adults and those cruel children but more than anything, he cursed his own existence that caused the death of his mother. If he was not born, his mother would have led a happier life.

He was small and weak, never being able to fight off any bullies who were bigger and stronger than himself. The caretakers never care enough to help him. In times like these, he would hide somewhere and wait till his bullies got bored with finding him. It could be anywhere, behind a trashcan, in the cupboard or even the dirty attic that no one cleans. Every time he was forced to go into hiding, he would cradle his left hand gently and stared fondly at the red string floating in the air in front of him. It was proof, proof that there was someone out there who was perfect for him and he cannot wait for the moment when he would meet his soulmate. Not that the 17 years old him believes it anymore, that was nothing more than a child’s foolish dream.

He was lucky enough to be adopted but not lucky enough to have a good home. Or in his case, ‘homes’. Maybe, bad luck just followed him everywhere he went and he will never learn the feeling of being loved ever again. He used to wonder why those people bothered to adopt him when they were not going to take good care of him anyway. It was not like he has any monetary value to them. Keyword being ‘used to’, because he already knew, adults are just selfish beings who only care about themselves only and adopting him was to improve their own image. Yet, these people still claimed themselves to be kind enough to adopt an unknown orphan like him. It made him sick to his stomach and if he can, he would have vomit right on their shoes and dig out their hearts to see if they indeed even have one.

He honestly doesn't give a single shit about them right now. Not when he is a famous detective who incidentally has a revenge scheme to complete. Those people in his past do not exist in his eyes and they meant less than the dirt under his shoes. He is no longer a child abandoned by his father, whose existence caused his own mother to seek the afterlife as an escape. He is loved and respected by countless people from different age groups. Yet, he knows-even if he does not want to- that these people only love the mask he put on, never the real Goro Akechi. Never the real him. The moment he unmasks himself, everyone will turn against him instantly.

He started cursing his own fate, his path that was chosen by God, something that was out of his control. It was unfair to him. It was not his decision to be born, it was not his choice that led to his own father leaving the family and he was barely even aware of the concept of death when his mother committed suicide. Even if there was someone out there who was his so-called destined lover, he will not walk the path that some arrogant and selfish God had craved for him. He started wearing gloves to hide his own string from his own sight and started the plan of writing his own destiny. Destiny can go screw itself over for all he cares.

However, despite his own cursed existence, a God somewhere took pity on him and gave him a special power to overturn his fate. A power which he can use however he wants and allow him to create his own path. It was the power to get back at the pitiful adults who only care about themselves. It was the power to make his own blood-related father suffer. That’s right, the power to cause the fall of the very person in front of him.

"-next 3 days. Are you listening, Akechi?"

"Yes, of course, Shido-san." Goro gives a smile, charming and innocent. The type that he uses in front of a camera. "I won't fail you."

"Good, now get out of my office." Shido state harshly before turning back to his papers on his desk, not bothering to give Goro any more attention.

Goro furrows his eyebrows in irritation for a second before returning his expression to a pleasant one. He's already used to Shido’s attitude but it still pisses him off how rude the politician is. He glances at Shido's right pinky, the black string that wrap around Shido’s wrist turns his stomach upside down and his throat constricts itself. Goro bows politely to his father and left the office.

Goro pulls the glove that covers his left hand self-consciously. His feels his own invisible red string burns through his glove like it's seeking his attention but it paid it no mind and continues his way. Again, fate can go to hell for all he cares and Masayoshi Shido will join in the party. He will write his own story and get an ending of his own choosing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, you all enjoyed this story. Comments are appreciated, I love to hear what people think about my work.
> 
> Sorry, no Akira this chapter. He will appear soon. Really soon.
> 
> Deleted Scene:  
> Again, destiny can go to hell for all he cares and Masayoshi Shido will join in the party. He will write his own story get an ending of his own choosing.  
> That was when Goro Akechi found the joy of writing fanfiction.  
> The End. :)


	2. Lapis Lazuli

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shujin Academy, an elite prep school located in Aoyama-Itchome neighborhood in Tokyo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes I made. Enjoy.

“Please! Don’t kill me!” The man in suit cried out in desperation as he kneeled in front of Goro, growing yellow eyes wet with tears, “I am so close to succeeding! I ca-“

Cold expression and eyes blank, Goro shot the man without hearing the rest of his words out. The Shadow died and disintegrated into tiny black specks. It was the same old job and same old words he heard countless of times and it was honestly getting pretty mundane. It had been about 2 years since he first started working for Masayoshi Shido as his personal assassin and he liked it as much as the very first time. Meaning, he hated it with all the hatred he can muster. Regrettably, he had no choice in the matter if he wanted to gain Shido’s trust which was essential in his plan for his revenge. The higher you climb, the harder you fall. Goro will make sure Shido knows that phrase inside out.

Travelling in Mementos was taxing, especially when he had to walk on those uneven tracks with his own two legs. Unfortunately, his bicycle was not ideal to travel in such uneven surface. Fighting Shadows of corrupted adults was even more tiring, especially when he had to hear those people with holier-than-thou attitude. He wished every single one of them would just cut to the chase and start the fight immediately instead of talking about how he was in the wrong for fighting them and he was totally going to lose. A bullet hole in between their eyes at the end of the fight told a different story.

Even in Mementos, even in the form of a shadow, Goro was still able to see the red string of fate that tied people together. There really was no running away from those accursed strings, even if they were technically not real as he was currently in the Metaverse. It was sickening how people who were distorted enough to have a shadow in Metaverse still have a so-called destined lover. The God who was in charge of tying those red strings must either be drunk or on drugs. Probably both, seeing as how he had a red string as well. He pitied the person on the other end of his string. For their own sake, they should pray hard that they will never meet Goro in their whole life.

That man was the last target of the day and Goro can finally call it a day and started making the long track back to the first floor of Mementos. He knew better than to linger in Mementos for much longer than necessary. The first few times he went to explore Mementos to know more about the cognitive world was how he met the terrible being that lurked around Mementos. Goro had no idea who’s Shadow it was -- if it was even someone’s shadow in the first place -- but he knew that he did not have the power to win the Reaper of Mementos.

Opening the application that mysteriously downloaded itself into his phone about 2 years ago, he exited the Metaverse. Shibuya was crowded as usual and the people were as ignorant as always. They will never know what had just transpired in the cognition world.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he accidentally bumped into a teenager who looked to be about the same age as him. Putting on his best apologetic expression, he apologized as sincerely as he could. It won’t do for his image to be tarnished just because of his habit of spacing out -- which he can't break out of no matter how hard he tried. The teenager paused in his steps, rubbed his neck absentmindedly and stared at Goro. Goro’s smile froze in place as he waited for a reply. Just as he was about to apologize again, the teenager snapped out of his thoughts, gave a quiet ‘It’s fine’ before walking away.

Goro was unable to comprehend the actions of the teenager. While he doesn’t seem to mind being bumped at, his pause was still odd. Maybe he was a fan of Goro and did not know what to say? It won’t be the first time this happened to him while meeting a fan on the street. Goro did not let the encounter bother him; it was unlikely for him to meet the other person again. He continued his way back home.

He waited until he reached his apartment before giving a call to Shido. His apartment, never his home -- he lost that years ago.

“Shido-san, the job is complete,” Goro reported to Shido, his usual plastic smile missing from his face. At least in his own apartment, he did not need to put on the Detective Ace mask. There was no one around to see his act.

“Good work and stop calling me by name,” Shido snapped at Goro, “I’ll be sending you the list of your next targets. You have until the end of the next month to complete.” Without waiting for Goro’s response, Shido ended the call.

Goro removed his phone from his ear and stared at it in silence. Shido was as rude as ever and continued to look down at everyone from his high tower. Goro understood the danger of saying Shido’s name while making his phone call but it gave him great satisfaction to hear Shido’s irritation and paranoia about the situation. Those little victories were just the appetizers to the last treasure.

Despite the burning hatred he had on his blood-related father, he can’t help but be delighted at every praise that seeped out of Shido’s mouth. It’s sickening, unreal and did not hold much value. Goro knew that as it was obvious Shido only needed him for his ability but his heart doesn’t seem to want to follow his mind. His desire to be acknowledged was much stronger than he thought. 

Sitting in front of his work desk, he placed his briefcase on the table before opening it up. After retrieving his silver laptop from his case, he switched it on to check his emails. Knowing Shido, the man most likely had already sent him the list during the short time they spent on the phone. While Shido was definitely not an ideal politician and certainly not a righteous person, Goro would have to give credit to his intelligence and meticulous care to his work.

Just as expected, he had a new mail from Shido. It was time for him to review the notes.

* * *

 

About a week later, the volleyball coach of Shujin Academy -- Suguru Kamoshida –- made the headlines in all the local newspapers. Goro was not surprised at the news of an adult abusing his position to get what he wanted, it was not the first time he saw this and it certainly won’t be the last. However, what intrigued him was the group who called themselves The Phantom Thieves of Hearts. They sent a calling card and claimed to steal Kamoshida’s distorted heart and made him confess his sins on his own. It was cheesy, implausible and seemed to come out from a novel or manga.

There was no way someone can make a person change so much unless they threatened or blackmailed said person. Yet, the way Kamoshida confessed his sins seemed to suggest that he really did had a change of heart out of nowhere and that was only something supernatural can do. He doubted 'guilt' was enough to cause such man to confess. Even if the group did exist, he had no reason to believe the group had some sort of power to change the heart of a person, just as they claimed on their calling card. However, the same can be said about his power to wield his Persona –- Loki –- in a cognitive world and the existence of the red string of fate that only he can see. Sometimes, common sense can be the obstruction from cracking a case.

That was why Goro stood in front of Shujin Academy, right before lunch break, in hope that this visit will shed some light on Kamoshida’s case. There was a huge possibility that it will all result in nothing and he was probably just wasting his time instead of completing his side-job given by Shido, but something told him that he should investigate this case properly.

“Akechi-san! What brings you here to my school?” Kobayakawa stood up from his chair immediately once he registered the identity of the person who just stepped into his office.  
Principal Kobayakawa was a weak-willed person who only cared about his own reputation and status. Licking Shido’s boots to get to his current position, he had no regards to other people, even if they were the students of his very own academy. Truly, a person who was not fit to be a principal of any school.

“Kobayakawa-san, it’s nice to meet you again,” Goro said pleasantly.

“Likewise, Akechi-san. Would you like some tea?” As a member of the Conspiracy, Kobayakawa knew of Akechi’s role in the group and he wouldn’t dare to disrespect him. Not unless he wanted to meet his maker.

“It’s fine, thank you,” Goro held up a hand to stop Kobayakawa before motioning Kobayakwaya to sit down while he stood in front of the Principal’s desk, “I am here to investigate Kamoshida’s case, do you know about the actions of the volleyball coach?”

“Of course not! There is no possible way for me to know that a former volleyball Olympian would commit such crimes!” Kobayakawa broke out in cold sweat, “Surely you don’t suspect me as well?”

A weak lie that Goro immediately saw through and a question that only further proved his point. It was to no one surprise that Principal Kobayakawa remained to be an easily disposable tool after all these times.

“Don’t worry, I am not here to arrest anyone,” Goro deliberately dodged the question just to see Kobayakawa became more unsettled. “I am here to find out more about The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.”

While Kobayakawa did not completely relax, he did let out a sigh of relief before answering Goro’s question, “Not many details can be found about the Phantom Thieves other than the calling cards they left behind,” Kobayakawa opened the desk cabinet and pulled out a red card and handed it over to Goro, “I had the student council president to get me one of those.”

The design was simple and slightly childish but the maker of the card used cut-out words from magazines to form the message. It was clever of them to do that as handwriting can be used to find the maker or they simply copied from other sources. Pocketing the calling card, Goro addressed the Principal again.

“Would it be all right for me to question some of your students here for more details?” It was pointless to ask but it was polite to do so. Surely, students will be more willing to talk than the adults the school.

“Yes! Of course!” Kobayakawa hurriedly replied, even scrambling from his seat to open the door for Goro.

Lunch break had just started when Goro left the Principal’s office. While there were fans of his at the school, they were all willing to let him do his thing once he explained that he was there for an investigation. They did not want to obstruct his work and get called out for it. Even though he went around asking students for details, the amount of information he knew was no more than when he left the Principal’s office. There was no one who saw the person pasting the calling card nor was there any students acting suspiciously. To add the icing to the cake, there was not even an item to indicate the existence of the thieves, let alone their identity.

The confession of Kamoshida was still new and fresh, hence most of the students were still discussing the topic. It was not until lunch break was 20 minutes from ending that he accidentally heard a small lead –- if you can even call it that –- but he was willing to take any chances.

“I can’t believe Kamoshida has been abusing his students for so long. I wonder who was responsible for the cards posted all over the notice boards.” A girl with a red headband said to her friend who has a ponytail.

“Do you think it’s the work of the transfer student?”

“He DID go against Kamoshida before the whole confession, the whole school knows about it. He even hangs out with Sakamoto and everyone knows how much trouble Sakamoto is. As they said, birds of a feather flock together.”

“My apologies, may I inquire you as to which class the transfer student belongs to?” Goro approached the two girls that he just eavesdropped. In his defense, they were speaking in their normal volume, not even attempting to whisper.

“Akechi-kun! Why are you here!?” The girl with the ponytail exclaimed in shock and delight.

Again, Goro mentioned to the two girls that he was there for an investigation before asking about the whereabouts of the transfer student again.

“H-huh? That guy? I believe he’s in class 2-D.” The girl with the red headband twirled part of her hair as she shyly gave up the information.

“Thank you, both of you has been a great help.” Goro flashed his famous charismatic smile at the two female students before walking towards the class 2-D.

“OH, MY GOD! Akechi just spoke to us!”

“You don’t have to tell me that! I was there as well!”

Goro’s smile widened just a tiny bit when he heard the two students. Soon enough, he located the classroom and slid the classroom front door open. A few of the students in the classroom looked over at him in astonishment. He flashed a blinding smile to the few people who were present in the class and gave a little wave.

“My apologies, would you be so kind as to point out the transfer student from your class?” Goro questioned the male student sitting closest to the front door before anyone can approach him to have a conversation.

“Akira Kurusu?” The student furrowed his eyebrows, “He’s over there with the two blondes. He’s the black hair, spectacles-wearing one.”

Goro gave his thanks to the student -- ignoring the student's whisper of 'what did he do now?' -- before heading towards the back of the classroom where a group of three crowded around a single desk having a conversation.

“Excuse me, are you perhaps Aki-“ Goro spoke politely but cut himself off when the black haired male turned his head towards him. The male’s eyes widen in recognition.

“Ah! It’s you…!” Goro exclaimed before composing himself, “My apologies, are you Akira Kurusu, the transfer student?”

The curly haired male -– Akira Kurusu -– nodded his head in reply, eyes behind a pair of framed glasses searching for something on Goro’s face.

“I apologized for taking up your time, but I would like to talk to you about Kamoshida.” Knowing that some of the students may be eavesdropping, Goro dropped his speaking volume.

“That asshole is the one effin’ everyone up! We did nothing wrong!” The blond male shouted aggressively, destroying Goro's efforts at being discreet.

“Ryuji!” The only female of the group scolded the blond male.

“What!? I’m not saying anything wrong!” Ryuji said defensively.

It was interesting to Goro how Ryuji included both himself and the female when Goro mentioned Kamoshida even though he was clearly addressing Akira only. He mentally took note of that.

“I’m sorry about him,” the girl with pigtails gave an apologetic expression, “This idiot over here is Ryuji Sakamoto and I’m Ann Takamaki.”

“Hey!”

“It was nice to meet all of you, I’m Goro Akechi, a rookie detective.” Goro introduced himself.

“The actual Ace Detective!? I knew I saw you from somewhere!” Ann blurted out, pointing a finger at Goro.

“Huh? Who?” Ryuji questioned, “Do you know, Akira?”

“Not really,” Akira twirled the ends of his bangs, “but I would definitely remember now.” He gave a side glance to Goro.

“You two are hopeless!” Ann slammed her hand on the table and reprimanded them, "both of you should read the news more often!" Goro would have similar thoughts but he was trying to not think too much about Akira’s last line.

“Don’t worry, I don’t expect everyone to know me.” Goro said to reassured Ann, “Continuing our earlier discussion, I would like to ask all of you if you have any information about the Phantom Thieves?”

“O-oh? What do you want to know about them?” Ann said with obvious nervousness.

“Let’s start simple shall we?” Goro held up a single finger, “Do you think the Phantom Thieves are real?”

“Definitely real,” Akira spoke in confident, rolling his one of his shoulder as he spoke, “they are the ones who actually do something instead of those adults.”

“Laws are in place to administer justice, what right do they have to do that in place of Law?” Goro placed his left hand under his chin.

“Law constantly fails us –- Kamoshida’s case is a good example –- we need people who are willing to stand up against corrupted adults for people like us who do not have the power to do so.”

“Don’t you think people will use that as an excuse whenever they commit a crime?”

“Debatable, but the Phantom Thieves only go after criminals.”

“Yo…think they forget about us?” Ryuji whispered to Ann who only gave a silent nod in reply.

“You won’t know that would you? Who is to stop the Phantom Thieves from going after innocents?”

“None of the innocents are hurt in Kamoshida's case, in fact, many were saved by their actions.“

"This is the first time they have shown themselves, how can you be so sure to say that they will continue their righteous way until the very end?"

"That is be-"

“Nyah!” A black cat poked his head out of Akira’s desk, placed both of his front paws on Akira’s leg and dug his claws into Akira’s thighs. Akira let out a soft groan of pain and stopped his debate with Goro as he tried to pull the cat away from him. In the meantime, Goro blinked multiple times to refocus on his surroundings.

“Stupid cat! Get back inside!” Ryuji whispered to the cat angrily and pushed it back to where it was before.

“Is that a ca-…!?” Goro had seen many things in his life but that was the first he saw someone having their pet cat under their desk.

“Shh.” Akira placed a single finger to his lips and winked up at Goro.

Goro’s face felt slightly hot for no apparent reason but he kept his pleasant smile in place. He willed the not-blush down and gave a short cough into his hand.

“Ahahaha…that’s Akira’s cat -- Morgana. He doesn’t like to be separated from Akira.” Ann pulled at one of her pigtails, “Akira always brings him everywhere he goes.”

“Right…” Goro let the subject go, the cat was not his purpose here.

The school bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.

“Ah, that’s the bell…” Goro said lightly as he spoke to Akira, “Unfortunately, we have to cut short our discussion here. I really enjoyed it, I hope that we can do that again.”

Akira tilted his head to one side for a moment in thought before reaching into his bag and pulled out a single blank piece of paper. He quickly scribbled something on the paper before passing it to Goro.

“This is…” Goro looked at the written words in confusion, “A café address and a phone number?”

“It’s currently where I lived and my phone number,” Akira gave a roguish smile. “Visit me and call me whenever you want, detective.”

“W-what?” Ann choked out in bewilderment.

“Dude!” Ryuji gave a scalding look towards Akira.

Goro swore even the cat under the desk yowled in shock.

“Ah…yes…thank you,” Goro pocketed the piece of paper, “I’m afraid I must leave now, it’s nice to meet all of you. I will see you all next time.” He walked quickly to the back door and slid it open.

“Akira, what the hell!?” Ryuji screamed just as Goro closed the classroom door.

_What the hell indeed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone asked, yes, Goro stood there talking to them the whole time. Considering Akira’s desk is right beside the window, there are technically only three human spaces unless they all squeeze together. With Akira and Ann both on their own seats, that left Ryuji sitting in between them and he will need to scoot to one side for another person to join in. Well…do you think Ryuji will move to give some space to Goro? 
> 
>    
> The conversation Goro failed to hear:  
> “Akira, you just gave your address and phone number to a detective. Are you sure that’s wise? Considering we are…you know…” Ann says uncertainly.  
> “Yea dude, and you guys still say I’m the idiot of the group.”  
> “You ARE an idiot, Ryuji.” Morgana taunted from under Akira’s desk.  
> “Say that again!? You damn cat!”  
> “What!? I’m not a cat!”  
> “What can I say? He’s hot.” Akira interrupted before the fight got worst.  
> “…”  
> “This dude has an issue.”  
> “Agreed.”  
> “I’m rethinking my choice of choosing him as the leader.”


	3. Foolish Sheeps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was during one of Goro's regular Palace trips that he finally got to witness the Phantom Thieves in their act.

For some reason, when he visited the Mementos a few days ago, the area had expanded without his knowledge. He had his hunch as to why the Mementos changed but he had no actual proof to make any accurate deductions. In spite of that, what interested him were the different Shadows found on the deeper part of Mementos. The new area -- Path of Aiyatsbus-- shown by the Metaverse application, held stronger Shadows than the previous paths. While he was currently still much more powerful than the Shadows found in Mementos, it was still better for him to get stronger than ever before. If Mementos was to continue to expand and have stronger Shadows, there might be a day where he won’t be able to win the stronger Shadows if he did not improve himself now. Since the Shadows at Palaces were usually stronger than Mementos, Goro made sure to train whenever he made his regular trip to various Palaces formed by members of the Conspiracy. It was the perfect place to check the members' loyalty to Shido as Shadows version were always more willing to speak the truth than their real version.

Ichiryusai Madarame, a con artist who stole his students’ arts while claiming them to be his own and had gotten more famous as a result. He was able to put two and two together just from visiting his Palace the very first, the portraits of his ex-pupils spoke volumes. Once he mentioned that he worked for Shido as an assassin, he basically had free realm to roam around his Palace. He had his black helmet on while meeting the cognitive Madarame so he did not need to worry about the man knowing his actual identity. He may be speaking to a Shadow but it was always better to be safe than sorry. While members of the Conspiracy knew the existence of an assassin working for Shido, they had no idea about the identity of said assassin except for a selected few that can be counted on a single hand. On the other hand, most of them only knew Goro Akechi as an important figure -- important enough to not disregard him as a small fry -- in the Conspiracy but not his actual role as an assassin.

It was during one of his regular Palace trips that he finally got to witness the Phantom Thieves in their act. When he stepped into Madarame’s Palace one day, he noted that the security had strengthened in his absence and the Shadows were all restless as they rushed about trying to capture intruders. He overheard the Shadows talking about a group of four going around the Palace fighting the Shadows and destroying things left and right. Carefully maneuvering around the Palace to avoid being seen, Goro followed the trail of smashed art pieces and opened chests. He eventually found them battling in the 2nd Exhibition Room.

Peeking around the wall he was hiding behind, he observed the odd group. He descried four members; two males, one female and a strange animal-like thing who can somehow speak human language. He…had no idea what kind of being that was. He had never met such being in the Metaverse before -- unless they were Shadows -- and Wakaba Isshiki's notes did not include any beings like that. However, the other three humans were familiar and reminded him of another group of three he saw not too long ago in another place. After all, just how many blondes can you find in Japan and two of them in a group at that? It may or may not be a coincidence but it was still too early to jump to conclusion.

What he can do right now was to gather as much information as he can about the Phantom Thieves -- Yes, the Phantom Thieves. It was not hard to know that they were the vigilante group who claimed to have changed Kamoshida’s heart when they were actually the one shouting about it. Discretion was obviously not in their dictionary.

Goro took note of their little ticks and quirks that they themselves may not even be aware of. The way they acted, the way they talked and the way they held themselves were all clues to their real identities. Unraveling the mysteries behind the group and dissect them into tiny little pieces before carefully deciphering each piece.

Their fighting was mediocre at best and there was certainly a huge difference between their strength and his own. Of course, with him being the stronger one. Mistakes were made and their strategy was not the best if their goal was to explore the whole place. They were spending too much SP on fighting the Shadows which led them being tired more easily, wasting more time and covering fewer grounds. Nevertheless, if Kamoshida’s case was when they first gained access to the Metaverse, it made sense that they were not as good as he was since he had more than two years of experiences while they only have a little more than one month.

The other members seemed to be following the orders of the only black-haired member of the group. No doubt, that person was the leader of their little vigilante group -- a cocky and confident leader. However, their leader was able to wield more than one Persona, -- while the rest only has a single Persona like Goro himself -- having the ability to switch between different Personas with ease. If Personas were the manifestation of a Persona user’s personality, that said a whole lot about their leader. Under all that masks that the leader wore, what exactly was the real him? Were his teammates even aware of that?

Following the thieves closely, he saw them going into the safe room at the 2nd Exhibition Room. When the doors shut right behind them, Goro walked quietly to the door and stood outside the room, trying to eavesdrop on them.

They were being way too carefree and relax especially when they were right smack in the middle of an enemy territory. While it was true that no Shadows can approach or enter the safe rooms, it was still safer to have their guard up. Had they no sense of danger while being in a Palace? Or were they so arrogant to think that they were so powerful that no one can stop them? At this point, Goro had no idea which category the group belonged to.

But it was clear; they too had the power to wield Personas as well. Goro was not surprised that someone other than him knew about the cognitive world as both Wakaba Isshiki and Masayoshi Shido had knowledge about the cognitive world long before he met them. However, that was the first time he saw someone else having the power to wield Persona as well, and there were four of them being able to do so.

When it seemed like the thieves had finished their discussion about their progress they had made so far, Goro snuck away from the door and hid behind the wall of the hallway he just passed to get to the safe room. The group had enough energy to continue their exploration; they won’t be going through the same hallway again. Soon enough, the thieves exited the safe room and continued onwards.

He stalked the Phantom Thieves until they reached the Central Garden, where the group was being stopped by a barrier made of red lasers -- which were not there the last time Goro was there -- and they were forced to retreat to the real world to deal with the barriers.  

The Phantom Thieves were a small group, yet they seemed to know quite a tad bit about the Metaverse despite gaining access to it not too long ago. It was either they have someone experienced who told them how the Metaverse worked or Kamoshida was not their first target and they may already have years of experiences. Either way, he would need to investigate more about the Phantom Thieves in his spare time as it would be foolish of him to write the group off especially if they had access to the Metaverse as well. The Phantom Thieves, a group of vigilantes who worked to change the heart of corrupted adults. They honestly reminded him of a comic he used to read so long ago.

_ Don’t you want to join them as well? _

“Shut up.” Goro snapped at the new voice that would not leave him alone. It was only recently that a voice that was clearly not Loki’s started manifesting. It only talked to him whenever it had something frustrating to say.

_ I’m sure you will face your heart soon enough. _

Goro did not bother to grace the voice an answer this time. That line was what the voice liked to repeated itself with and Goro was too tired to continue giving the same answer. He had better things to do than to entertain some voice in his head. He did not need to ‘face his heart’ in his pursuit of revenge. It was useless. He only had one goal in mind.

Goro exited Madarame’s Palace and headed towards Shibuya to fill up his empty stomach and to get a cup of coffee to wake himself up so as to continue his work on a recent case. He may just found out that the Phantom Thieves were real but he was still a detective and a detective did have work to do.

Recently, a new restaurant had opened up in Shibuya and it was given high reviews on the internet. He had to visit the place so that he will be able to use it as a conversation piece in the event that food came up as a topic. He did not mind waiting for a longer time than usual to get a table.

He was given a table at the corner of the restaurant and it was the perfect spot for him to work on his case without people bothering him. Before the waitress could hand him the menu, Goro stopped her and ordered his food. He had already known of their food through the internet and he had ordered the most popular dishes -- according to the netizens.

As he waited for the arrival of his food, he took out documents from his attaché case. The nine words the voice kept repeating to him got drown out by his thoughts about his work as he lost himself in his work. Yet, his answer to that voice managed to make its’ way to the top.

_I lost my heart long ago._

* * *

 

Even though Akira gave Goro his address and phone number, Goro did not visit the café nor did he send a single text to the curly-haired male. While it was true that he did enjoy their talk in the school, he didn’t think it was the time for him to go about messaging or calling the other male. It was honestly going too fast for him; embarrassing enough, he had no idea what to do about such situation since he had no experience. He was avoided by the other kids before the death of his mother, avoided during his days in foster care and when he was an up and coming detective, all of the people who approached him would want to gain something from him.

Akira Kurusu was interesting; he spoke what he thought of without lying through his teeth just to gain Goro’s favor. He was not afraid to outright contradict Goro’s statement despite knowing his own infamous reputation in the school, even though it may only breed more false rumors.

He considered asking Sae-san for advice about the situation, but knowing the work-before-anything woman, it probably won’t work. Hence, he left the situation be until it came finding him. In this case, ‘it’ literally came finding him.

Standing in front of him was Akira Kurusu, hands tucked inside his pockets as he slouched slightly forward. Akira was the one who noticed Goro standing on the train platform first and came forward to greet the detective. However, greet was an understatement, demanded was closer to the truth.

“Akechi, I’m still waiting for your message,” Akira waved his phone around to emphasize his point. “You didn’t visit me at Leblanc either.”

“I don’t make a habit of messaging or visiting someone when I only meet them for one time, Kurusu-san.” Goro blinked in surprise at the abruptness but he kept his smile in place.

Clenching his heart in mock hurt and expression twisted into one of pain, Akira kneeled to the ground and curled up into a ball, “Critical hit! Can’t go on…help me…” Akira said as dramatically as he could.

“…You! What are you doing?” Goro hands hovered over Akira as he debated with himself if he should force Akira up himself or persuading the other to stop his act. He resorted to the latter. “Everyone is looking at us! Hurry and get up!”

“If only you give me your number.” Akira lifted up his head and gave a cheeky grin.

The distant murmurs of the people around them were starting to bother Goro and he prayed that no one took out their phone to take any photos or even worst; accusing Goro of hurting Akira physically. The last thing he wanted was for his reputation to go down due to Akira’s idiocy.

“Please get up, we will talk after that.” Again, Goro tried to reason with Akira.

“Goro Akechi, the Ace Detective, guilty of breaking the heart of an innocent. Truly, the worst crime out there. Would you arrest yourself, detective?”  “

“You’re changing the subject.”

“Would you arrest yourself?” Akira repeated.

“You’re impossible,” Goro shook his head in disbelief, “Fine, I agree to give you my number. Will you please get up now?”

Immediately, Akira stood up, brushing off any dirt on his pants and held out a hand towards Goro with his palm face up, his infuriating smile still in place. Instead of doing what he just agreed, Goro stared at Akira’s hand before shifting his attention to his other hand. Goro’s silence and lack of movement caused Akira to tilt his head in confusion as he tried to read the meaning behind Goro’s expression.

“Hey…You there?” Akira waved his hands back and forth in Goro’s face. “I know I have great hands, you don’t have to stare so hard at them. Unless…you have a thi-”

“You’re insufferable,” Goro said in response and cut Akira off before he can complete his sentence before quickly digging into his pocket to pull out his phone and handed it over.

“Anything to make you agree,” Akira pushed up his glasses and gave a smirk to Goro. Using Goro’s phone, he sent a quick message to himself before nodding his head in satisfaction and letting out a quiet ‘yes’ once he received the message.

“I can never predict what you were going to do every single time I meet you.”

“I do try my best for you.” Akira tucked his phone back into his pocket.

“I’m flattered, thank you.” Goro was slowly getting used to Akira’s actions and he had no idea whether that was a good thing or not. Probably for the best since Akira was obviously not going to stop anytime soon. Goro had no idea if it was just Akira's personality to act this way or he just like teasing Goro.

However, instead of responding to Goro, Akira held Goro’s gaze while twirling the front of his bangs as he contemplated wordlessly. Goro had no idea what exactly the other was contemplating about but it was getting unnerving when neither of them spoke a single word for a while. Soon, Akira lips started to turn up and smirked in the way that Goro just knew that Akira was going to say something cheeky.

It was at that moment that Goro’s train arrived at the station; passengers squeeze in between others and poured out of the train. Akira broke the eye contact and turned his expression back to neutral as he looked behind Goro at the incoming train.

“That’s your train.” Akira pointed out the obvious.

“Indeed. I suppose I will see you soon, it was great talking to you.” Goro gave one of his plastic smiles to Akira before turning away to board the train.

“I will make sure to message you soon!” Akira shouted at Goro’s back.

“I’m sure you will,” Goro muttered despite knowing Akira was too far away to hear him. He can feel the pointed stare on his back as he walked into the crowded train but he refused to turn back to confirm his suspicion.

When Akira held out his hand to Goro for his phone, he noticed the absence of something on the dark haired male. Akira Kurusu did not have a soul mate. He had no red string.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again, Akira Kurusu and Ren Amamiya. Remember guys, Joker will always be his alias since it came out in the game.
> 
> Now, what the hell am I suppose to do with his double name? What a dilemma.
> 
> Also, can I rant a tiny bit? God damn Madarame's Palace. I hate the room filled with lasers, I hate the damn octopus and I totally hate the boss fight. I was so pissed at the Palace that during my second playthrough, I threw my money on Igor's face to summon the end game Persona.
> 
> Lets' just say...Madarame was down before the game even got to advise me on using the black paints. It was great.


	4. Robin Hood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro paid a visit to Leblanc.

When Goro gave his phone number to Akira about two weeks ago at the train platform, the other teen spared no time in messaging him. It ranged from simple greetings to random offers to hang out. Goro always declined with the excuse that he was busy with work and had no time to hang out. Despite that, it always made his chest burnt with an unknown feeling whenever he woke up with a simple message of ‘good morning’ or even something random like pictures of his cat. He really did bring the cat everywhere he went, it was usually tucked inside his bag.

It was just simple curiosity that he decided to visit café Leblanc. It was by no means that he visited there with the desire to see a certain curly-haired male. After all, why would he visit the place in the morning when students would normally be in class right now? He simply wanted to scout out the area, so as to say.

He would say it was a good decision; the café had good coffee, atmosphere and, the barista of the café didn’t recognize him at all. Even if the barista did recognize him, he treated Goro like any other customer. The café was empty of people -- saved for the barista and himself -- but it may be due to the ongoing rain which normally encouraged people to stay inside their warm houses instead of coming out to the café.

Goro chose to sit on the second seat from the door, near the yellow payphone and books that he was keen on reading the next time he chooses to visit the café. For now, he has his own documents to read, namely, the details of one Akira Kurusu. Since there were no other customers in the café, it was safe for him to view his documents; he just had to be careful of Sojiro’s wandering eyes. While it was not exactly tactful of him to read details about Akira when he was currently at said person’s temporary housing, it was not like Akira himself was at home.

However, luck was not at his side. When he was only about one-third through his coffee, he heard someone making their way down the stairs at the back of the café with heavy and unsteady steps. Goro paused in his drinking and looked towards the sound; he had an inkling just who the person was. Sure enough, Akira appeared from the stairs as he staggered his way down. As calm as possible, Goro opened his attaché case and placed his documents inside before shutting it. He brought up his cup to his lips and took a sip of his coffee.

Akira’s hair was messier than usual and his glasses were missing from his eyes, showing his bloodshot eyes. He looked much paler than normal and he swayed slightly when he walked. Bring up his hand to cover his mouth, Akira coughed lightly into his hand. In short, he looked downright awful.

When Akira noticed Goro sitting at the counter, he blinked slowly twice before rubbing his eyes and stared at Goro again. Seeing that, Goro smiled and placed his cup delicately back to the saucer.

Akira approached Goro, poked him on the cheek followed by his neck and gave a quiet 'huh?' before pulling out the chair that was beside Goro and collapsed in it. He leaned forward and rested his head on his arms that he folded on the countertop. 

“Kid was running around yesterday without an umbrella while it was raining,“ Sojiro placed a cup of hot honey water in front of Akira as he explained, “got himself sick and was unable to get to school.”

Akira groaned pitifully and somehow managed to bury his head even further in his arms. He mumbled something into his arms that Goro was unable to comprehend it.

"How are you feeling, Kurusu-san?" Goro asked with concern, he did not think Akira was one who would get sick that easily.

A muffled whine was his answer and Akira did not even made any attempt to lift his head up. 

"You two know each other?" Sojiro questioned with a disbelief expression, wiping a cup clean with a dry cloth, "This kid had a friend like you?"

"Friend would be farfetched," Goro denied, "Acquaintances would be more of an accurate wording."

At the side, Akira peeked out from his arms slightly and glanced at Goro before burying his head back to the crooks of his arms.

"You look like a proper kid," Sojiro held a hand on his hip, "make sure to let him stay out of trouble. The last thing we want is him stirring up trouble and getting himself kicked out of the school."

Goro glanced over to Akira, who had stopped groaning and moving about, before returning his sight to Sojiro once more, "I assure you, Kurusu-san has not been up to any mischief during the few times we saw each other."

"Better be that way," Sojiro grumbled and knocked the countertop with his knuckles, "Kid, drink up and go back to your room. You're affecting my business."

Goro wisely chose not to comment on the lack of customers in the cafe ever since he was there and sipped his coffee instead.

Akira lifted up his heavy head and unfolded his arms; he reached out to the cup of hot honey water with both hands and drank it slowly. He gave a sound of appreciation before continuing his drink without a word. 

"You're much quieter when you're sick," Goro noted, "It's different."

"Quieter?" Sojiro raised an eyebrow in surprise, "He has always been this quiet, not much of a talker."

It was not that Goro thought Sojiro would lie to him but during the few times Goro had met and talked to Akira, the other boy had been nothing but being forward in talking to Goro. He would not use ‘quiet’ to describe Akira but the other boy did have his silent moments.

“I supposed that’s true.”

On the other hand, Akira had just finished his drink and was placing it back down, “Thank you, boss.”

“I got it, hurry up and go rest,” Sojiro took the empty cup and went to the kitchen to wash it.

Nodding, Akira stood up and swayed dangerously on his feet. It was only due to Goro’s quick reflects that Akira did not end up smacking his face right onto the countertop.

“I believed it will be better for me to help you up to your room,” Goro offered, “It was a miracle you even managed to get down the stairs with how much you’re swaying.”

Akira gave a small nod before leaning against Goro and they walked up the stairs together with Goro supporting most of Akira’s weight.

Once they reach the room, Goro helped walked him to his bed that was located at the far end corner of the room. Akira fell heavily backward onto his bed and placed his arms over his eyes as he tried to stop his pounding head.

Goro took that moment to look around the room, -- an attic to be exact -- it was dusty and it made Goro sneezed once or twice. It was no wonder Akira would get sick with how the room was. Despite that, the room was properly organized for such a dusty place. Nothing was placed haphazardly and even the plant looked healthy and well taken care of. Looking around, Goro failed to spot the cat that Akira always carry around in the bag with him.

Spinning back around to where Akira was, his heart skipped a beat when he saw the sick teen looking at him through the gaps in between his arms.

Composing himself, Goro walked towards to where Akira laid and questioned the absence of Akira’s black cat. Akira sat up on the bed and played with his hair.

“Don’t want to get him sick.” Akira spoke in a hoarse voice and coughed, “left him with a friend of mine.”

“I see…with how attached you two were, I’m surprised he’s willing to part with you.”

“Sadly, I’m not the one he loves the most,” Akira wiped non-existence tears away from his eyes, “He would rather go with Ann then be with me.”

“Are you not treating him well?” Goro joked, “If that's the case, I would have to arrest you for animal cruelty.”

“I am innocent!” Akira protested, putting up both of his hands in surrender, “I treated my cat like a king! Unfortunately, he just lo-”

Akira sentence was cut off by his own coughs and he rubbed his own neck as if it would help to sooth the pain. Goro passed him a bottle of water that was found on the shelf right beside the bed. Akira took a few grateful sips before giving back the bottle to Goro again, which the detective placed it back to its’ original place.

Goro furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed Akira spacing off while rubbing his own neck absentmindedly. He wondered if Akira had a high fever that caused him to become delirious or something.

“I should probably leave now to let you have a rest,” Goro turned to leave, figuring that it was better for Akira to get his rest as soon as possible, “Get well soon, Kurusu-san.” However, just as Goro was about to fully turn away, Akira grabbed Goro’s wrist to stop him from leaving.

“Stay?” Akira pleaded but seeing as Goro had no intention to do what he said, he added on, “at least until I fall asleep?”

It was the first time that someone requested his presence for the sake of just wanting him to be there. Honestly, it scared Goro with just how much and how fast their relationship had developed. It had taken them only three face-to-face meeting and numerous messages to get to this stage. Was it normal for people to become friends so fast in this age? He had no idea.

For a moment, Goro stood there staring at Akira, trying to decipher the riddle in front of him. In return, Akira sat there silently while waiting for Goro’s answer.

Both of them remained in that stalemate for a moment before Goro nodded in agreement. Akira gave a tired smile and let go of Goro’s wrist. Goro pulled the chair from the corner and placed it right beside the makeshift bed. He sat down and crossed his leg, motioning for Akira to lay down on the bed and go to sleep.

Akira lay down and pulled the blanket up to his chin and closed his eyes. He breathed out softly, “Call me Akira.”

Goro pretended he did not hear that and sat there quietly without replying. Calling by his first name would signify that they were a lot closer than they actually were and Goro was not ready for that. He sat there looking at Akira, unconsciously mapping out Akira’s features and committing them to memory.

Eventually, Akira’s breathing even out and it was safe to assume that he had already fallen asleep. A bit of color had already returned to Akira’s cheeks and he didn’t seem to be in too much pain. There was no reason for Goro to remain there to watch over Akira anymore. Yet, he continued to sit there without any intention of moving.

This was the stubborn young man who sought for Goro’s friendship, who didn’t care for the difference in social standing or how people viewed him. Akira was either dumb or incredibly kind. Goro had a feeling that it was the latter as every action and every word of his screamed sincerity. This guy was the first to treat him like a human being, not someone who was a disgrace, an unwanted child, a puppet or even an object just for admiration. The very person who was probably the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

There was no one out there who was willing to put themselves out there for another. Humans were selfish, vile creatures and Goro was one of them. He had already given up on having any expectation for humanity. Nevertheless, he found himself foolishly placing his hope on this teen. This teen who was willing to leave his vulnerable self with Goro in a room, placing his trust on someone like Goro. He wondered if Akira can pull him out of his ocean of sins.

Unthinkingly, Goro reached out his gloved left hand and gently cup Akira’s face, his thumb rubbing small circles on Akira’s cheek. A small smile broke out on Goro’s face when he saw Akira leaned into his touch and even nuzzled a little at his hand. Akira’s temperature was a little higher than normal and it seeped a little through Goro’s gloves and warmed his hand. Currently, he wished more than anything for his bare hand to directly touch that warmth.

Pulling back his left hand, he made an attempt to pull off his glove when something red caught his eyes. That was when he realized he had forgotten all about his red thread in the presence of Akira. The cursed red string that promised to control part of his future without his goddamn consent. He did not sign up for this shit. Goro hastily pulled back his glove to cover his hand again.

_What have you done to me?_ Goro cursed mentally at the sleeping teenager.

Standing up swiftly, Goro placed the chair back to where it was supposed to be before walking quickly to the stairs, taking a quick glance back at Akira before making his way down the stairs.

“How’s Akira?” Sojiro questioned the moment he noticed Goro coming down from the stairs.

“He’s already asleep, his condition seems to be better than when he came down just now.”

“That kid…” Sojiro shook his head in mild irritation, “causing trouble everywhere he went.”

Despite his harsh words, Goro did not fail to notice the small sigh of relief coming from Sojiro but he politely chose not to comment on it. Instead, he went back to his seat and reached for his coffee. Sojiro offered to brew another cup for him for free but he declined, opting to finish up the one he had.

His coffee was long cold but he paid no mind and continued drinking it. Like a well-polished set of wheels, his mind whirled at top speed yet finding no answers to his questions.

Finishing his coffee, Goro gave his appreciation to Sojiro before gathering up his attaché case. Just as he stood up, the café’s door opened and a black blur shot pass Goro and went up the stairs. Three teenagers of about Goro’s age came through the door.

“Hello!” Ann greeted enthusiastically before stopping in her tracks in surprise at the sight of Goro.

“Hey! Why did you stop?” Ryuji complained when he accidentally bumped into Ann and looked over her shoulder and saw Goro, “What the!? Are you stalkin’ Akira?”

“Hmm? A stalker of Akira?” A blue-haired male commented, “How dreadful! We can’t let a stalker go away with his evil deeds!”

“As if you’re one to talk,” Ryuji rolled his eyes at the blue-haired male.

“What are you implying here?”

“I would appreciate it if you kids take your bickering outside,” Sojiro stated in displeasure.

“I’m sorry about them!” Ann apologized as she clasped her hand together, “We are friends of Akira and we're here to visit him.”

Sojiro raised an eyebrow in surprise before giving a sly smile and gestured towards the second floor, “He’s upstairs and currently sleeping, you kids should wait here until he woke up.”

“Thank you!” Ann smiled brightly before dragging the other two males to one of the booths available.

Seeing his chance, Goro quickly bid farewell to the three teenagers and Sojiro before they can speak another word to him. He has no intention to answer any of the three questions. The bell jingled when he opened the door and he shut it quietly behind him.

Ann Takamaki and Ryuji Sakamoto, two students who were involved in Kamoshida’s scandal alongside with Akira Kurusu. Lastly, Yusuku Kitagawa, a former pupil of one Ichiryusai Madarame was the newest addition to the group.

* * *

 

It was when Goro visited the Mementos the next day did he managed to pinpoint the identity of the new voice. The voice resonated in his head and his ears rang at what was said to him. A long-nosed red mask appeared on his face in a burst of blue flames and almost instinctively, Goro gripped it tightly with both hands and ripped it off. The excruciating pain of ripping one’s mask off the face was never a pleasant experience and Goro had the ‘joy’ of experiencing it the second time. To be honest, he would rather not have to do the same thing the third time.

His purple and black, body-hugging outfit was replaced with a princely white outfit with gold and red accents. Gone were his belts that were strapped to his arms and legs and were instead replaced by a red cape on his shoulders. His black and red knight helmet were exchanged with a red long-nosed mask that covered only half of his face. It made his head felt so much lighter and less stuffy.

Well, what do you know! It seemed Goro had the ability to wield different Personas just like the Leader of the Phantom Thieves. However, he did not see the leader having his outfit changed whenever he switched between Personas and the leader switched out his Persona like nothing. There was much more to the cognitive world than Goro thought of and he doubted he will be able to get any questions answered. It was not like there was anyone around for him to ask anyway and Wakaba Isshiki’s research only included so much.

Somehow, Goro can felt the smugness of his new Persona -- Robin Hood -- even if the heroic outlaw did not say anything and his appearance made it impossible for Goro to see his expression. He spent a good amount of time standing there just looking at Robin Hood without a word. Robin Hood himself stood proud and tall as he looked down at Goro without moving a single muscle.

Goro actually preferred his outfit when he donned Robin Hood’s mask. It was flashy, eye-catching and bright; the perfect outfit for someone who wanted to stand out as much as he can. It was the complete opposite of Loki’s outfit that consisted of only dark colors.  

Loki, a trickster god and Robin Hood, a heroic outlaw. Not only was Goro’s outfit for both of them were different, even what they stood for were different. Loki was a Persona he needed for revenge and Robin Hood was a Persona he wished he was.

Despite that, Goro felt that someone like Loki fitted him much better than Robin Hood did. Robin Hood was for someone like the Ace Detective, the charismatic prince charming with the perfect smile and perfect answers. The Ace Detective was not Goro, it was his mask. It was a mask that only existed to help him gain popularity and the approval of the people.

_I’m sure you will face your heart soon enough._ Robin Hood dutifully reminded.

_I get it._ Goro sighed in resignation. _I am thou, thou art I._

Robin Hood only chuckled in response and stopped talking.

Goro scowled but he said nothing back. He would love to see what Robin Hood can do but this trip of his was not a luxury trip. He had a job to do. Switching his red mask for his black one, Goro went deeper into Mementos. The moment he did, Loki laughed in delight at being used again. Loki may not speak as much to Goro as Robin Hood did but he brought out the violent streak in Goro instead.

The Mementos had expanded again; the new area -- Path of Chemdah -- had a darker atmosphere and more of a dangerous vibe than the floors above it. No doubt, it was the work of the Phantom Thieves and whatever they were doing in the Metaverse were changing the Mementos. He hoped that he gets to bump into the Phantom Thieves in Metaverse again. He wanted to confirm, needed to confirm. To confirm if the group was truly Akira and his group of friends. He hoped not.

The unfinished picklocks found on Akira’s table and the addition of Yusuke Kitagawa in his group spoke otherwise.


	5. Pancake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pancake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains an OC that you really don't need to care about.

Goro stopped the shrieking of his alarm and pulled the comforter off from his body. He covered his mouth with his hand and yawned lightly, sitting up on his bed as he did so. Standing up, he made his bed and smoothened out any creases as best as he could. Ruffling his bed hair to remove any tangles in his hair, Goro went into his bathroom to freshen himself up.

Once he finished showering, he dried his hair with a clean white towel and went to cook himself a simple breakfast that consisted of a small bowl of rice, miso soup, and a small grilled Saba fish. While he was not an expert in cooking, he did know how to cook simple dishes. It was either learn how to cook or having takeout every single day. However, having takeout every day was not a very healthy choice even if he did go for biking regularly and bouldering occasionally. Hence, he taught himself how to cook some most the most basic meals.

He lived in a plain apartment that comprised of the most basic living necessities with a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.  The walls and ceilings were left in their original colors -- white – as he did not see any point in wasting the money to hire someone to repaint the apartment. His apartment lacked any type of personal decorations other then what he really needed, it looked as if there was no one living in there.

Goro brewed himself a cup of instant coffee and brought it to his study table which he planned to drink while going through his case documents. It was a case of a recent murder of an actor -- Katsumi Amari -- and Goro was tasked with finding out the mystery behind the death of the actor. The actor was a talented brilliant young man whose death caused grief to his fans and many people wanted justice served to the murderer of Katsumi. His death was a loss to the country.

Goro scorned, the actor was too ambitious and angered the wrong person. The actor that everyone knew was nothing but a pretense to fool his audiences. The actor called Katsumi Amari was as real as the person called the second coming of the detective prince. In actual fact, the actor only got to this far by eliminating his rivals from the very start. Blackmailing, destroying one’s mentality or making false rumors; anything to reduce his rivals’ popularity.  He already knew what the actor had done from his own Shadow and Goro just had to gather all the information and the case will be close.

Of course, the ‘murderer’ of Katsumi will be found but his personal details will not be leaked to the public due to it being confidential. However, Goro believed that no one will care about the murderer of Katsumi at that point in time. It doesn’t matter who the killer was as everyone will be too focused on the true face of Katsumi Amari which Goro will reveal to the public. A celebrity’s popularity was fleeting and Goro promised himself to not fell down the same path. He will go down with fame and honor in his name.

Goro was so focused on his task that he failed to notice the passage of time well until it was afternoon. It was the day before the interview at the TV station and Goro had to attend a briefing for tomorrow’s recording in about an hour. Unfortunately, he did not have the time to grab lunch as he would be late for the briefing if he did so.

Finishing his coffee, Goro went back to the kitchen to wash his cup before preparing to head out. He dressed in his usual outfit which consisted of a peacoat, black trousers, a striped black and white tie and black gloves. He took time to make sure that his clothes were appropriate without a single thing out of place and brushed his hair to get rid of any remaining tangles.

Goro tidied up his documents and placed them neatly back to his attaché case that contained his laptop as well. He had already gathered all the evidence; he would just need to hand them over to the SIU -- which he will do so right after the briefing. Getting his keys from his study table cabinet, Goro left his apartment and headed towards the nearest train station. He rode the train to Akasaka Mitsuke, the TV station that was located near Shibuya.

He knew the TV station like the back of his hand as it was not the first time that he had went to Akasaka Mitsuke for a TV interview. With the increasing number of cases he solved, he was gaining popularity which resulted in more invitation to appear on live TV. It was a great way for him to gain even more fame and approval from others.

He heard that some of the second years from Shujin Academy would be coming as audiences to his interview. There was a chance that Akira would be included in those students and Goro was hoping that he wouldn’t be there. It was only two days ago that he met the sick boy and he honestly needed more time before meeting the other boy face-to-face. Nevertheless, it was better if he mentally prepared himself first.

He maneuvered around the building with no problem whatsoever, walking at a leisure pace as he had more than enough time before the briefing starts. As he was walking down a white hallway, he heard voices from around the corner that he was approaching. Not paying it any mind, Goro continued his way.

“-to that huge pancake-looking place we passed on the way here!” Goro heard a boyish voice shouted out from around the corner, the voice was familiar but he can’t place it, “It looked delicious! What was that?”

Just as Goro was about a few steps away, he noticed that the people who were chatting might be people he knew. More specifically, the group of three that he met at Shujin Academy. Goro silenced his footsteps and approached the voices while checking if there was anyone in the same hallway with him. He did not want to be caught sneaking about and eavesdropping on others. That would do wonders for his reputation.

“-they’ve got an amusement park,” Goro pinned the voice as Ryuji’s.

“It’s right in the middle of a business area, but they have some pretty hardcore rides there too,” a female voice -- probably Ann’s -- responded.

“All right…Let’s go! I’ll show you just how courageous I am!” the same boyish voice sounded out again. Seeing as both Ryuji and Ann was there, Akira was probably there as well. However, Goro doubt that was Akira’s voice. In addition, he didn’t think Akira was the type to shout in excitement. That was more of Ryuji’s style.

“Going on a scary ride doesn’t really prove any kind of courage.”

“Not like cats can get on anyways,” Ryuji said. What Ryuji said made Goro confused, while it was true that cats cannot get on any rides, but why did he suddenly brought up cats when they were talking about roller coasters? Perhaps someone wanted to bring Akira’s cat to go for roller coasters?

“Really?” The same boyish voice spoke in surprise and shock.

“Really. You might be able to sneak in if you stay in the bag, but you’d totally puke if you did that.” Ryuji clarified, “But uh… Let’s just go to Dome Town! I’m really feelin’ it now!”

“Me too! My stomach’s ready for roller coasters!” Ann spoke enthusiastically.

“Uhh… I think I’ll pass on the puke rides.” The boyish voice muttered, voice wavering in nervousness.

Believing that the group was about to leave and he won’t hear any important information from them, Goro pretended as if he was just passing by. They will become suspicious of him if they saw them standing there once they leave the area. It will be better for him if he was the one approaching them.

“Ah! To think I would see you all here,” Goro smiled politely at them and addressed Akira, “Kurusu-san how’s your health?”

“I recover fast,” Akira pushed his glasses up, “Thanks for the help two days ago.”

“I just did what was right,” Goro gave a standard response. Morgana lifted his half of his body out of Akira’s bag and peered over Akira’s shoulders to look at Goro. It seemed Akira even brought his cat to the TV station.

“Why did you keep showin’ up wherever we went!?” Ryuji spoke harshly to Goro. It was clear that Ryuji did not like Goro at all. He had no idea what he did to cause such a strong reaction from the blond boy but he paid it no mind.

“I will be filming on set tomorrow, I’m here for the briefing,” Goro explained, “I believed all of you are here for that as well? I did hear the news of some Shujin Academy students attending the recording as well.”

“Yup! It’s part of our social studies trip,” Ann confirmed.

“We got treated as a bunch of effin’ free labors,” Ryuji grumbled, face red in anger.

“Oh, come on, you're still going on about that?”

Akira smiled fondly at the two bickering blonds, twirling his hair as he did so. When he saw that, Goro tighten his hold on his attaché case. He was pretty sure his palm would have little crescent marks if he checked.

Goro took out his cellphone and checked the time and showed an apologetic expression, “My apologies, I truly was just passing by. I must get going, I can’t be late for the briefing,” there was a hint of regret in his voice before brightening up again, “So, you’re going to go have cake now? I missed lunch today, so I’m quite hungry myself.”

The three of them showed a puzzled expression and Goro was once again puzzled. Did he say something wrong?

“Huh? Cake…? What’re you talkin’ about?” Ryuji asked, speaking up for the rest of them.

“Oh, am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes…” Goro widened his eyes, mouth hanging open just a tad bit, “No matter. Welp, see you tomorrow.”

“Wait,” Akira dug into his school bag for a moment before pulling out a packet of melon bread from it and held the bread for Goro to take, “for you.”

“Ah? A melon bread?” Goro took the bread and examined it, “I recognized this, it’s from Yon-Germain isn’t it?”

Akira nodded in confirmation, “Brought it this morning, you should eat something even if you have to wait till after your briefing.”

“I...see. Thank you Kurusu-san,” Goro opened his attaché case and placed the melon bread inside, taking care to not show its’ contents to the three teenagers.

“Akira,” the curly haired boy insisted.

“Kurusu-kun then,” Goro spoke without missing a beat, “I will see you all tomorrow. Goodbye.”

Goro left the group and headed towards the TV station where he will be having his recording tomorrow. It was a simple briefing. It was basically having a test run of the entire procedure; such as when was he supposed to come out, the coordination and positioning of the cameras and lightings and the area where the Shujin Academy students will be sitting. It was nothing new to him, especially when he was frequently invited to talk shows.

Goro was there for a good few hours before everyone was dismissed. He thanked everyone politely and the rest of them returned the gesture. Everyone there was pleasant to work with and they all respected and admired him. However, he knew that it was due to his popularity that they acted that way around him. They were all a bunch of fakes but Goro himself was as much as a fraud -- if not, more so -- than them.

Leaving Akasaka Mitsuke, Goro headed down to Nagatacho to meet the SIU Director.

To the public, the SIU Director was of a higher rank than him and Goro was supposed to listen to him. However, the SIU Director was also a member of the Conspiracy and he only joined because Goro had blackmail material on him.

Goro gave what he had gathered of Amari Katsumi to the SIU Director with the order for him to reveal the entire truth of what the actor did to the public as soon as possible. Of course, the credit would be given to Goro for cracking the case. The director had no choice but to agree with Goro.

The SIU Director was a mere pawn on the chess board and his loyalty was questionable at best. Neither Shido nor Goro was trustful of the man and it will not surprise Goro if Shido ordered him to dispose of the SIU Director someday in the future. For now, the SIU Director was still useful to them in Shido’s quest for the presidency.

With his business done, Goro exited the building. That was when his stomach growled, reminding him of the lunch he skipped and the melon bread he got from Akira. He got the slightly squashed melon bread from his case, tore open the packaging and took a bite out of it. His eyes soften and mouth quirked up into a smile as he bit once more into the bread.

_It’s sweet._

* * *

 

It was the day of the TV show but the show only started at afternoon. Hence, he had the whole of the morning free until he had to head down to Akasaka Mitsuke. With the recent case closed of Katsumi Amari, Goro had no more work from Shido for now. Knowing Shido, it would only be a few weeks at most for him to give Goro the next target.

Unfortunately, while he did not have work to do, he was still a student. He was a student who had to study hard if he wanted to keep his high grades up, especially when he sometimes had to skip school due to his detective work. However, having good grades were a necessity if he wanted to keep up the pretense of a charismatic detective. People tended to look up to him more if he has good grades on top of everything else.

It was hard for him to even get a decent grade when he was younger; moving from houses to houses discouraged him from having a good grasp on his study materials. However, he refused to give up and studied whenever he could. When he finally managed to live alone and has the money from working for Shido, he enrolled in a good school and signed himself up for cram school. He studied whenever he was free just to get high grades. It was not easy but not once did he complain about it. Why would he complain when every blood, sweat, and tears he shed will bear fruitful in the end?

When it was finally the afternoon, Goro went to the same train platform as yesterday to get to Akasaka Mitsuke for the actual recording today. Once he was there, he greeted the staffs and was on standby in a room until it was near the time of the recording. It was after some time did a staff member got him from his room and had him stand on the side for a moment until it was his cue to get on the set.

Hiding in the shadows, Goro glanced at the audience area, attempting to locate a certain curly-haired teen. Akira was inscrutable to Goro and he just can’t seem to crack the puzzle called Akira. He can’t make heads or tails of Akira’s actions.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed his cue to get on set.

“Mr. Akechi is coming on!” The veteran AD spoke out. The screams and whispers of the Shujin Academy female students immediately followed right after that line.

“Cutting back from commercial,” the veteran AD announced, “Seven, six, five seconds till start, four, three…”

_Two, one._

“And now, onto the ‘Hottest Meet-and-Greet’ segment of our show…” The female announcer spoke into the microphone, “After his last appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today. It’s the high school detective, Goro Akechi!”

“Hello there,” Goro greeted with a tint of laughter, having no trouble in speaking in front of cameras and audiences. 

“Thank you for taking the time to join us today, Akechi-kun. Your popularity is stunning,” the cheerful host said.

“Even I’ve found it to be quite a surprise. It is a bit embarrassing though…” Lies were necessary for his field of work. People didn’t want to listen to the truth; they want to listen to words that made him the charismatic idol detective. If he even showed a second of a bad image, his fans will be quick to turn on him. He did not want his years of hard work to go down into the drain just because of a few choice words.

“Moving along, we’ve been told there’s a case on your mind right now. Care to share, detective?” The cute announcer questioned.

It was the moment Goro was waiting for, speaking about the Phantom Thieves when the three teens were around allowed him to gauge their reactions. However, he would have to be careful. This whole talk was being recorded and if he kept looking at the same direction, there will be bound to be someone who points that out. Goro took great care in answering the questions and at his own body language, unwilling to give anything important to those who were watching.

 “But hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real…” Goro held a hand under his chin and sneaked a glance at a certain three students when he spoke his next words, “I believe they should be tried in a court of law.”

While Akira did not show much expression on his face, the look of alarm and panic was clearly visible in his two friends’ faces. The more Goro continued to speak of his disapproval of the Phantom Thieves’ actions, the more Ryuji looked like he wanted to pummeled Goro into the ground and the more uneasy Ann looked.

“Now then, let’s try asking some students the same age as Akechi-kun about the Phantom Thieves!” The female announcer said, “First, please press your button now if you think the Phantom Thieves exist!”

There was a slight pause as they waited for the calculation of the result.

“About 30% or so? What are your thoughts, Akechi-kun?”

“I’m a bit surprised. That’s higher than I was expecting. I’d love to hear some more detailed opinions on the Phantom Thieves’ actions.” Hearing his words, the female announcer got up from her seat and approached the students with her microphone in her hand.

He waited patiently as the female announcer looked around for a student to answer.

“All right, let’s try asking this student here,” the announcer stopped at a curly-haired teen who only blinked in response.

_Out of all the students, she had to choose that one student. At this point, I am not even surprised._

“Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?”

The slight bantering with Akira, dared he said it, was fun. Even in front of a live TV, Akira still spoke his mind without any hesitation. Unlike Goro who thrived under the praises of other people, he wondered if Akira truly did not care for the opinions of the others. To live in the very way he wanted without caring about the ill-intentioned whispers, Goro would kill to have that life.

If Akira truly was a member of the Phantom Thieves, he wondered if the other teen would still willing to seek him out just like before when Goro just criticized them in a live TV show. He had no doubt that the Phantom Thieves’ popularity would drop after he made his statement about the wrongdoings of the vigilante group. 

The whole talk show lasted for an hour. It would be a lie to say that he didn’t enjoy his time in front of the cameras. Being in a spotlight was exactly what Goro liked; feeling needed and loved even if they were only strangers gave him a sick sense of satisfaction. After finishing the closing statement for the show, Goro thanked the staffs for their work before approaching Akira -- who he noticed stood alone at the side looking at him.

“Kurusu-kun, I wanted to thank you for meaningful discussion just now,” Goro smiled gratefully, “It was certainly a nice surprise to be able to talk to you like that even on a live TV show.”

“Akechi,” Akira greeted with a nod, “want to grab dinner together?”

“What about your friends?” Goro looked around, in an attempted to locate the two blonds.

“They went home, I told them not to wait for me.”

“Ah, is that so? At the very least, let me bid my farewell to the staffs,” Goro explained, “It would be rude of me to just walk away without saying anything.”

Akira nodded in agreement, “I shall wait for you here.”

If Akira noticed his quicken steps, he did not say anything.

He told the staffs that he had plans for the evening and unfortunately had to step away right now. There was not much fuss as they all understood that he was busy with his work as a detective. Goro thanked the staffs again and bid farewell to them before returning to Akira’s side.

“Let’s go, do you have a place in mind?”

“Ogikubo.”

“The Ramen Town? I heard about that place, I was planning to visit there in the near future.”

“I knew of a place that sells great ramen.”

“Show me the way then,” Goro gestured to the exit.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Akira straighten his back and bowed deeply, a hand placed right above his heart.

“Your Highness? The last time I checked, I am not of the royal blood.”

“You’re a Prince ain’t you?” Akira smirked, “The Detective Prince.”

“You always have a cheeky reply don’t you?”

“You know it,” Akira winked.

Goro chuckled in response, “Shall we get going?”

“Sure,” Akira agreed and they left the TV station, heading towards the train station to take the train to Ogikubo.

“Your cat, wasn’t he with you?” Goro spoke out, looking at the strangely empty bag.

“I had Ryuji help me drop him off at Leblanc.”

“Are you sure it was wise to do so? Won’t he run away or get lost?”

“He’s a smart cat but he did look pretty unhappy with my decisions,” Akira twirled his bangs, “I will have to buy him some good food to win his favor back.”

“I heard cats are picky eaters, you have to make sure you get him the premium goods.”

“Whatever you say, Prince.”

Goro only laughed in return, not wanting to go through the same responses again.

They had to change trains a few times but eventually, they reached Ogikubo. Akira led Goro to a ramen shop that he and Ryuji came to a few weeks ago. There was a long line of people waiting for a table and both of them went to the end of the line to queue up. There was nothing they could do in the meantime except chat with each other. It was not until forty-five minutes later that it was their turn to get to their seats.

“Sorry about the long waiting time, this place is very popular,” Akira apologized the moment they sat down.

“Waiting in long line doesn’t bother me; many of the restaurants I went to did have longer lines than this.”

“Oh? Were you experienced?”

“Yes, I made sure to try out popular dishes as much as I could,” for the exact reason why he did so, Goro did not say, “They usually had long waiting time.”

“Why don’t you be my tour guide?” Akira said, before showing a troubled look. Akira’s change in expression was not very obvious but Goro caught it anyway, “It was only two months since I moved to Tokyo, good food would be greatly welcomed.”

_On probation due to assault._ Goro’s mind helpfully supplied the information without any difficulty. With how Akira usually acted, Goro would have thought nothing would shake the boy.  _I guess I was wrong._   

“I won’t mind doing that, as long as my schedule permits it.”

Akira only smiled in satisfaction, as if Goro promised the world and not just a simple agreement to hang out in the near future. Goro held up his menu to hide his face from view. He was definitely not blushing, even if his red ears told another story.

“Have you decided on what you want?” Akira asked after some time.

“Yes, shall we order?”

Goro called over one of the waitresses once Akira gave the ok and placed their orders.

“You said you were not from around here right? How did you know about this place? The internet?”

“Ryuji brought me here about a month ago.”

“I see, Sakamoto-san does seem to know his way around the city,” Goro noted and Akira only nodded in agreement.

Once their food arrived, both of them spared no time in eating, the comfortable silence was their company.

“The ramen was great; it was definitely worth the wait,” Goro commented once both he and Akira finished eating.

“Yeah, I especially love their soup.”

“Yes, their soup was quite rich in flavor. It was a delight to taste it.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Both of them paid for their food before exiting the shop.

“Let me walk you home,” Akira said once they stepped out of the ramen shop.

“Thank you for your offer, but I am capable of going home by myself.”

“What if you meet bad guys?” Akira placed both of his hands on Goro’s shoulders and spoke seriously, “Or god forbids, a mutated hamster!?”

“I’m sorry, there is no way I will meet a mutated hamster on my way home.”

“You will never know what happens.”

“You are strangely persistent on it,” Goro observed, “Do you have an ulterior motive in getting my address?”

“That depends,” Akira lose his seriousness, “How much will your address be worth if I sell it to your fangirls?”

“I hope that you are joking, you do remember I am a detective right?”

Akira only grinned, “Of course.”

“All right, I will let you send me,” Goro sighed in resignation, “Will you stop this nonsense now?”

Immediately, Akira stood upright, legs together and saluted Goro, “Yes Sir!”

“I can never win you can I?”

“But you already won something of mine.”

“Huh? What’s it?” Goro was bewildered by Akira’s statement, “I can’t possibly win over something that I have no idea of.”

“My heart.”

“W-w-w-what!?” Goro turned red as he spluttered out a single word while Akira only stood there, amused by Goro’s reaction, “What do you mean by that!?”

“You’re the detective, Akechi. You tell me the answer.”

“…You!”

“You looked cute when you’re angry.”

“Will you take this seriously!?”

“You know what I meant, Akechi,” all traces of joking had gone from Akira’s tone.

Whatever Goro wanted to say had become stuck in his throat, he looked down at his feet and tighten his grip on his attaché case. Mind working in top speed to form a reply to Akira but failing to do so. Being angry and frustrated will not work when Akira knew that he was trying to escape from the conversation by being difficult.

Akira did not speak for a few moments in favor of observing Goro before rubbing his neck and addressed the shaken detective, “Let’s get you home all right?”

“…All right.”

The sun had already gone down and there were already lesser people on the streets. The atmosphere between the two was heavy and tense, the complete opposite of this afternoon and evening’s mood. They walked to the train station without speaking a word to each other.

Due to the late timing, there were not much people on the train allowing Akira and Goro to both get a seat. For the whole trip, Goro sat up tense and nervous, not knowing what to do with the situation. The attaché case he placed on his lap felt too heavy, it was weighing down on his legs. However, Goro did not want to budge a single muscle, fearing that it would gather Akira’s attention.

When the train stopped at his station, Goro stood up without a word and Akira dutifully followed him. Nothing was said between them as they made their way towards Goro’s apartment.

“We are here,” was the first words Goro spoke since they were at Ogikubo, finally breaking the silence. They now stood in front of Goro’s front door.

“Listen, about just now-”

“I’ve to work tomorrow, Kurusu-kun,” Goro cut off Akira. It was quite rude of him to do so but he honestly needed some time alone as soon as possible. Preferably right this second.

Akira turned silent at Goro’s words. Waiting for Akira’s next words caused Goro to break out in cold sweat. If Akira decided to pursue an answer, Goro did not have any clue on what he should say especially when his mind had failed him.

“I’ll see you soon,” Akira gave a sad smile -- Goro did not like that look on Akira, particularly if Goro was the cause -- and rubbed his neck.

“Yes…be safe Kurusu-kun,” Goro shut his apartment’s door and went to place his attaché case on the study table before immediately heading into the bathroom.

He stripped his clothes and placed them aside before stepping into the shower. He turned the water temperature as high as he could and stood under the shower head without doing anything. The hot water burnt his skin and he was sure his skin had already turned red but he paid it no heed. Anything was better than his own traitorous thoughts. The water from the shower hit his head and chest before sliding down to his legs and to the floor and finally went into the drain. Goro failed to identify the exact time his tears started joining in.

It was only two months since Goro met Akira, and yet the teen was able to easily spoke words that threw Goro off. Words that he wished was said to him since he was young, words that he desperately chased after. Words that he wanted someone says to him -- him, Goro Akechi and only as Goro Akechi --since forever.

He can never figure out what Akira was thinking and what he was going to do or say next. Somehow, Akira always managed to surprise him despite Goro mentally preparing himself. He had pulled himself out from trickier situations but somehow he was not able to get himself out in this kind of circumstances.

No, that was wrong. He himself did not want to get out of the situation nor did he want to leave Akira’s side. It scared Goro how much he wanted to be with Akira, even if just as friends. But it was no use. He had his plan on getting his revenge on Shido and there was no way he was going to live long after that. Pursuing something as fragile as a relationship will only hurt him and the other party in the end when there was no way it will bear fruitful. He was stuck in a limbo. Yet, he can’t deny his own heart. 

_It will never change, I can never get what I want._

The red thread around his left pinky gleamed brightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to God this chapter was not suppose to end this way, I even typed down the last line for this chapter right at the beginning but it was deleted and replaced. 
> 
> So far, this chapter is the hardest for me to write. You have no idea how many times and how long I was stuck at certain parts.
> 
> Anyway, since quite a few part of this chapter was taken from the game itself, I thought it will be better for me to give you all a slightly longer chapter than usual. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter.


	6. Achromatic World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grey, black and precious white.

Goro stopped the shrieking of his alarm and pulled the comforter off from his body. He lifted his heavy body off from his bed and pulled the curtains away to reveal the bright sun. Goro greeted the sun with heavy eye bags and tired face, his hair was beyond messy with strands sticking out everywhere. It was safe to say that he did not have a restful sleep at all last night. His mind refused to let him sleep peacefully as he was plagued with thoughts of Akira and the events that happened yesterday.

The white tulips that appeared in his dreams only added on to his headache.

Goro got up from his bed, not even bothering to make his bed before dragging his feet to the bathroom to freshen up. Even after having a shower and washing his face, the tired look he had on his face did not seem to want to go away. To be fair, he did not try that hard in attempting to look less exhausted. He went into the kitchen and brewed himself a cup of instant coffee to at least help him feel a bit more alive. He planned to skip breakfast today, not having an appetite to eat. Even if he did force himself to eat, everything will just come back up anyway and he was in no mood to see his breakfast twice.

Despite all the time he spent on his bed tossing and turning, he still had no clue on how he should act around Akira. They had only met for two months, there was no way someone can like -- Goro cringed at the word -- another so easily and so fast. Akira probably thought him as interesting and fascinating and mistook that feeling as affection. It was impossible. Even if it was true, there was no way they can have a future together. This thing called 'future' had long stopped existing in Goro's world years ago.

All of a sudden, his apartment just seemed to be too small and too constricting. The walls and ceiling seemed to be closing in too fast and it made Goro nauseous and dizzy. Goro was sure he did not suffer from claustrophobia, but he can't stay in his apartment any longer. An escape. He needed an escape. For just a tiny while, he needed somewhere calm and quiet to sort out his mind.

Dumping his unfinished coffee into the sink, Goro went back to his bedroom to change his clothes. Goro forwent this usual detective outfit and instead wore something that was lighter and more appropriate for summertime. He wore a blue V-neck sweater vest on top of a white button-down shirt and brown trousers. Despite it being summer, Goro refused to go out without his gloves.  It may look a little strange with what he was wearing, but it was not a huge problem that he needed to worry too much about.

Goro left his house and went downstairs to where the bicycle stands were to retrieve his hybrid bicycle.  It was cloudy, the perfect day for cycling during this time of the year. The clouds would hide the sun and save the people from the hot temperature what was surely baking people at this season of the year. The occasional wind was a pleasant bonus.

Cycling -- one of his hobbies -- was one of the few things that he truly enjoyed doing. Cycling around the city calmed him down and allowed him to clear his mind while sight-seeing at the same time. He will just go to wherever his legs carried him to; it was one of the joys of cycling. In addition, cycling randomly allowed him to gather interesting stories from around the town, allowing him to gain more topic of conversations that can be utilized in conversations with adults or even talk shows.

There was something tranquil about operating a vehicle with your own body, the speed of the vehicle depends on how fast and hard you pedal. You don’t have to go that fast, -- in this case, it was never a race -- Goro preferred it to be at his own pace only. So unlike sitting inside a car, you can feel, smell and touch the surroundings around you and speeding pass all of this just defeat the purpose of cycling.

It felt like he really was connected to the world and not just someone sitting behind a screen and looking in. Looking, always looking, but never part of it.

However, unlike his usual biking sessions, he had a destination in mind today. Inokashira Park, a park with its small little corners where he can hide away from the rest of the world, without really agonizing about keeping up his pretense. Inokashira Park was known for its relaxation and an escape from the stressful city life. Furthermore, it was already summer, there was bound to be a lot fewer people than in the spring and autumn.

Following the arrival of summer, the trees had lost its soft pink colors -- the color of love and compassion -- and were now replaced with greens that were known to help lift one’s spirit. The color green was a relaxing color that was pleasing to the eye and was said to have healing powers. Goro did not know how true it was but he did find peace in the park when it was quiet with lack of humans.

He found a secluded area of the park where bushes and tree were plentiful that helped him to hide from curious eyes. He stopped his bike and dismounted from it before lifting his bicycle over the wooden railings and pushed it behind one of the bushes to hide it from view.

Goro sat down underneath a tree that was surrounded by bushed and was big enough to conceal him from anyone who was passing through. Goro drew his knees up to his chest, staring straight ahead at the river as he did so.

The river was of a dark blue color; giving off a mysterious feel yet telling any lookers how dangerous it was with its seemingly bottomless depths. Yet, people were always curious about the treasures found in the very bottom. It was always the unknown that made people wanted to reach its depths. Leaves and branches fallen from nearby trees twirled delicately on the rivers’ innocent surface, entrancing people to join in with them. One wrong move and its victim will be pulled under its spell without a way out.

It reminded Goro of a certain someone.

Goro straightened his legs and leaned his back against the tree. He closed his eyes, not wanting to look at the water body any longer, enjoying the slight breeze that caressed his cheeks and played with his hair. Goro empties his mind and instead focused on the sounds around him. The rustling of the leaves as they danced with the wind, the distance splashes of the water as couples rode their swan boats and the flapping of the ducks’ wings as they took flight into marshmallow filled sky.

Unfortunately, his well-geared mind refused to quiet down even with the supposedly calming effects the park was known to have. 

Goro let out a frustrated groan and snapped his eyes open, having a sudden urge to throw a certain cheeky Shujin student into the river for causing him so much trouble. Instead, he looked up to the sky that was dotted with cotton, trying to figure out if the shape of the clouds meant anything, it was something to let his mind focus on. Cloud watching was one of the things he used to do when he was young and there was no one willing to play with him. He only had the sky to keep him company.

It doesn’t matter what the weather was like, clouds were always free and they were neither bound nor faltered by an outside force. Always moving forward, just like Akira, who refused to let the difference in social standings or the nasty rumors stop him.

Goro paused his thoughts before shaking his head as if to physically shake off his thoughts.

Just then, a particular cloud passed by and Goro let out a short laugh when he realized that it was shaped like a cat. It reminded him of Akira’s pet cat -- Morgana -- that he always ca-

He did not even know why he was trying anymore. It seemed to be absolutely pointless. Everything around him just reminded him of the glasses wearing boy, he was sure he can even find similarities between the damn ducks and Akira if he tried hard enough.

Coming to Inokashira Park was an absolute waste of time and the only good thing that came out from it was the lack of humans in the park. Goro got up from the ground and petted any mud or grass off from his pants and making sure the rest of his clothes were free of dirt.

He had no reason to stay in Inokashira Park anymore, while the place failed to let his brain to stop thinking about Akira, it did at least chase away the suffocating feeling he had when he was at his apartment.

Goro placed his bicycle on the walkway again but not before dusting off any dirt on the seat. He placed one of his feet on the pedal and pushed off from the ground with his other foot before swinging it over to the other pedal. Sitting down on the seat, Goro began cycling back to his apartment. He planned to go back and continue his studying as he has an examination the next day.

To get back to his apartment, Goro would have to pass by Shibuya station; it was a convenient route as he was hoping to get more instant coffees from the convenience store. If he wanted to stay up late, coffee was a must.

Shibuya was the same every day, filled with all sorts of people around who were all there for different reasons. While being in such a large crowd was not exactly his favorite place, there were benefits in it as well; he would be just another faceless person in the crowd as long as he didn’t try to stand out.

It was always interesting to see the different types of people that were there, it was fascinating for him to try and unravel people just by observing their behaviors alone. You would be surprised how much people show a side of themselves in a busy place like Shibuya. Even now, he slowed down his pedaling just to observe the people found at the station square today.

Goro cycled past the smoking area where the adults in business suits were burning their life away slowly, stick by stick. An old lady was frowning in concentration as she stood in front of the lottery booths, eyes shifting between each booth as she grumbled under her breath. As usual, the guitarist who was always at the entrance of Teikyu was singing and playing his guitar at the same place despite not having a single audience, he didn’t seem to care about that fact. The four unique teenagers -- who were heading towards the underground station -- consisted of two blondes, a dark-blue haired male who was lugging his luggage and even the dark haired teen had a cat in his bag. The usual two reporters that were always on site asking pedestrians short questions and near the wall that was filled with co--

Goro had never braked so hard and fast in his life before, if not for his tight grip; he would have shot off from his seat and most likely getting intimate with the dirty floor. The person who he suddenly stopped beside even jumped a little at his abruptness before giving Goro an irritated look and went on his way. However, Goro ignored the stranger and immediately turned towards Shibuya Central Street, cycling as fast as he was allowed to without running over anyone.

He failed to notice a pair of grey eyes watching him leave.

After getting his packs of instant coffee from the convenience store at Shibuya Central Street, Goro returned back to his apartment. He made sure that his bicycle was securely locked at the bicycle stand and made his way up the building to his apartment.

Goro was disgusted with how weak he was. How many times had he run away from Akira now? He thought he had already long grown up from the phrase when he ran away from any problems. He had already started solving his own problems straight on without anyone help once he was hit with the cruelty of the world. Apparently, it only took someone with a sincere heart to make the extra effort to know him that reverted him to the child he used to be.

Escaping, fleeing, avoiding, eluding and hiding. The skills he had to learn when he was small and unassuming. They were the skills that he needed when he was young to survive in the harsh world for an orphan. They were the skills that he no longer had to use when he grew up.

He muttered a few curse words at Akira, despite knowing the boy was not at the same place as him.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be the day when he stopped running away. It will be the day when he stopped letting Akira affect him so much. Even if he managed to shake him up, Goro will make sure to mask it up and treat Akira like any other people. He will not let a single person screwed his life up.

For now, Goro poured himself into his studies, reviewing all of his notes and triple checking what he knew.  He did have an examination the next day in the morning at his cram school and he had to ace it if he wanted to keep up the pretense of being a talented detective.

* * *

 

Goro woke up bright and early the next day, he definitely felt a lot more like a human than the previous day. He still had his doubts and hesitations but he was sure he can make it through. He had gone through worst situations.

After going through his morning routines, Goro dressed himself with his white button up, his usual striped tie, black trousers and black shoes before heading out to his cram school to take his exam.

As he was on the way to the examination classroom, Goro bumped into Makoto Nijima, the younger sister of Sae Nijima. Being the sister of the intelligent and workaholic Sae Nijima, Goro had high expectations of Makoto to be at least on the same level as Sae. Sae had actually talked about her sister briefly once or twice and Goro had been looking forward to the younger sister of the Nijima family.

With that in mind, Goro approached Makoto with the intention to figure out her worth and getting more information from her. Goro quickened his footsteps in order to catch up to Makoto who was in front of him.

“You’re Sae-san’s younger sister, correct?” It was more of a sentence than a question. “May I talk to you for a moment?”

“Is it about the Phantom Thieves…Akechi-kun?”

He won’t lie, he actually enjoyed talking to Makoto the same way he appreciated talking to Sae. Both sisters were highly intellect woman with their minds working in different ways. It was always a delight to see how sharp-witted people’s minds click into places to reach a logical conclusion. Makoto was clearly an insightful woman, quick on the update and strong-willed. At least, that was what his first impression on her was.

“Besides, I’m only using my natural-born talents for the sake of serving the world,”  _and among other things_ , Goro mentally supplied. “Don’t you think the same about yourself too?”

“I--” Makoto spoke hesitantly and avoided eye contact with Goro, biting lightly on her lower lip.

“…Oh, that’s surprising. So you’re just the good-girl type of pushover,” seeing Makoto’s troubled face, Goro can’t help but added fuel to the fire. It gave Goro a sick sense of satisfaction to see how troubled Makoto was, knowing that he was not the only one getting all insecure about themselves.

Goro pulled out his phone and checked the time, not wanting to speak to Makoto anymore. “…Looks like it’s starting soon. See you later. Give Sae-san my regards.” Goro walked away from Makoto and headed to the examination room.

Makoto Nijima, despite possessing a highly developed intellect, was a woman who lacked the backbone to stand up for herself or anyone around her. Unlike her sister, Makoto did not make use of her natural talents to make her way up. It was a waste on someone like her. She irritated Goro, people who did not accomplish anything yet dared to talk all big truly has no place in this world. Acting in a confident way despite feeling the complete opposite, who was she trying to fool with how defensive and ruffled up she was with just a few choice words.

Needless to say, Goro was pretty disappointed with Makoto.

Ever since his TV interview at Akasaka Mitsuke two days ago, his popularity has been increasing and more and more people were speaking about him in a brighter light. Even now, his interview was still being broadcasted and viewed by large groups of people -- mostly the younger generations. He actually had another TV interview with another TV channel tomorrow and he will be heading down to the TV station right after his examination.

For the time being, he had an examination to give his attention to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update probably won't be as fast as the previous chapters as I will be quite busy this coming week and I am actually working on another story. HELP ME PLEASE. I am just digging my own grave at this point in time.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and have a great day/night! ^^


	7. Secret Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \--Insert summary here--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!! I am finally here with chapter 7! I'm pretty busy and stressed out lately so this chapter was slightly later than usual. 
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this chapter!

While Goro was already expecting to bump into Akira sooner or later, -- regardless whether he wanted to or not -- he did not expect to see Akira and Makoto talking to a thug-looking man in a dirty alleyway when he was on his way home. More accurately, he saw the three of them ducking into one of the multiple alleyways found in Shibuya one after another. Maybe he was being overly cautious and thinking way too much, but, there was still a chance that Akira would be in danger, especially when the man did not seem to have any good intentions.

Goro would bet his entire life savings on the man being part of a criminal group. He would like to state that his life savings were not a small amount either.

Goro went after the three, going to the alleyway himself. Basically, he was actually following the thug who was following Makoto, who was trailing after Akira. It must be a bizarre situation to see such a sight. At the very least, he hoped that no one was actually stalking him right now. 

To his lack of surprise, he saw and heard the three of them standing in the middle of the alleyway, near a gym called Protein Lovers. The alley was definitely not squeaky clean as trash cans were overflowing with trash and bags of garbage were found on the side. Lockers and walls were painted over by graffiti with different colored words and paintings. Goro had to control his urge to burn the place down.

“Heh, you’re a funny girl,” despite what the thug said, he was not laughing at all, nor was there any hint of amusement in his eyes.

“So you won’t answer me? Then I was right…” Makoto was not fazed by the thug invasion of her question; instead, she got her answer from what was not spoken out loud.

“Eh?” The thug stepped towards Makoto, glaring at her with contempt, trying to intimidate what he thought was a weak little girl. “What’s up with you anyways?” The thug barked at Makoto, getting increasingly annoyed with her, especially when Makoto stood fearlessly in front of him.  “Why’re you asking all these questions, huh?”

“Violence is not the answer,” Akira quietly but firmly spoke out for Makoto, body tense in preparation to physically defend Makoto should the situation turn into a physical fight.

“Oh…” Makoto looked over to Akira, shell-shocked.

There was a moment of silence that Goro chose to make use of to announce his presence. He spoke out as he walked towards the three, voice friendly and tone light. “Is there any problem here?”

“Akechi-kun? What are you doing here?” Makoto turned towards Goro, eyes slightly widened in surprise.

“I heard a commotion here and came to investigate the source,” Goro explained, “I did not expect to see the two of you here. I apologize, but let me reiterate my question again, is there any problem here?”

In the meantime, the thug was mumbling something under his breath with furrowed eyebrows, rubbing one his ear absentmindedly. Once Goro directed his question at the thug, he stopped his mumbling and addressed Goro, “Nothing you need to be concern about, I was just on my way.” The thug quickly left the three in the alleyway, not even bothering to look back.

Three of them watched the thug leave even until he turned the corner, it was only when the thug was long gone did the three relaxed their stance. Spinning back to face Akira and Makoto, Goro replaced his usual smiling mask with a concerned one, “Just what are the both of you doing with a thug? It was dangerous.”

“Technically, I’m a delinquent as well,” Akira placed a single hand on his nape and rolled it. Goro did not fail to notice that Akira had chosen not to answer the question by changing the subject.

“Kurusu-kun, you and I both know that that’s not the truth.”

“You two know each other?” Makoto questioned, placing a hand under her chin as she ran her eyes over the both of them.

“We did bump into each other a few times,” Goro gave a vague answer, not explaining where and when they had met, “we are nothing more than acquaintances.”

Akira remained silent and tilted his head slightly downwards, the glare on his glasses prevented Goro from figuring out the emotions in his eyes. Even Makoto sneaked a glance at Akira as she waited for him to either agree or disagree with Goro.

Clearing his throat, Goro pulled Makoto’s attention away from Akira to him, “I believe you two still had not explained why you were with the man?”

“There were not much to say, he just came up to us and we were abou-“

“We are looking for a mafia boss,” Akira interrupted, face as expressionless as ever. His bag shifted a few times in return and Akira adjusted the bag’s straps on his shoulder.

“Kurusu!” Makoto chided Akira for his thoughtless reply.

Akira only shrugged indifferently, not seeing any point in lying to Goro, “We are looking for the person who controls Shibuya. Do you know who it is?”

Goro had no doubt that the person Akira was talking about was Junya Kaneshiro, the mafia boss who took hold of Shibuya in his iron grip. However, Goro felt that Akira really should not be worrying about Kaneshiro right now, especially when there was someone right beside him who was a few seconds away from plummeting him into the ground. Gor wisely stepped away from the both of them.

“I am not in charge of this case, even if I am, I'm bound by the law to not give any confidential information to the public,” Goro explained, “In addition, it was neither of your jobs to go around chasing after a mafia boss, you should leave it to the police.”

“The mafia boss had already evaded arrest for a long time and many Shujin Academy students had already fallen to their scheme. As the Student Council President, it's _my_ duty to help these victims and ensures that no other students would become the next prey to the group.”

“Even so, it is still not your job to do so and there are plenty of ways to help them without jumping straight into the fire. Doing something reckless will only endanger yourself and the people around you,” Goro reprimanded without losing the pleasantness in his voice, “You would be doing nothing but creating trouble.”

“…” Makoto tightened her jaw and clenched her fists, her hands were shaking slightly.

“There is a clear difference between courageous and foolishness,” Goro added on as if he was oblivious to Makoto's internal struggle. She remained silent but Goro was almost able to physically see her troubled thoughts.  

“Akechi,” Akira called for Goro’s attention, shaking his head at the detective once Goro looked over at him.

Goro was unable to explain the sudden boiling anger he felt but he squashed it down and throw it to the very back of his mind. He knew what Akira was implying and he had half a mind to ignore him. Nevertheless, it would be childish and inappropriate for him to continue putting Makoto down with his words even though she probably needed it. At the very least, he believed Makoto was intelligent enough to not make any rash decisions.

Goro took out his phone and pretended to check the time, making a regretful expression before putting his phone back into his pocket. His expression was stiff on his face. “I apologize, I have to take my leave right now as I have work to do.” It was a lie, but using work as an excuse was a convenient excuse to take his leave which he frequently used.

Goro left the other two in the alleyway, making his way back home. He won’t lie that he was being too harsh on Makoto but someone had to knock some sense into her head, even if the method to do so were not exactly being thoughtful about her feelings. He refused to acknowledge the true reason that his mind was whispering to him. 

What he did not except was Akira pursuing him as Goro believed that the other boy would rather be with Makoto than him.

“Akechi,” Akira called out, making long strides so as to catch up with Goro. “Akechi, wait.”

While Goro did not pause in his steps to wait for Akira, he did slow down his speed slightly, small enough that normal people would not pick it up.

“Goro,” Akira spoke gently, hoping to calm Goro down with that single word.

His name that was whispered out by Akira was soft and gentle like a blanket around his shoulders during a cold rainy day. It heats his body up like a heater and keeps him warm. Like a steam train with its fuel running out, Goro jerked to a stop.

How long had it been since someone called him by his first name? ‘Akechi’, was always what he was known and called by. No one was close enough to him to ever know Goro. Just Goro and only Goro. The single word was filled with so much emotion that it hurt Goro’s heart, he almost wished he could rip out his heart to stop the pain.

Akira, who was walking behind Goro almost bumped into the detective due to his unexpected halt. It was only due to Akira’s high proficiency that he managed to stop himself in time to avoid colliding with Goro. Akira sidestepped Goro and stood in front of the detective, head tilting slightly sideways in an attempt to look at Goro’s face that was hidden by his bangs.

“Are you angry?” Akira questioned, despite knowing the answer to it.

“No, I do not have any reason to be angry do I?” Goro smiled charmingly, but Akira’s question made him became aware of the bitter taste in his mouth. Goro licked his lips and swallow his saliva in an attempt to get rid of the taste.

On the other hand, instead of responding to Goro’s question, Akira stayed quiet instead, preferring to find his own answer on Goro’s face.

 _What the hell? You don’t say things like that and then leave me hanging._ Goro stopped himself from showing the irritation on his face.

He was getting unnerved by Akira’s glaze but he refused to back down and chose to stare back. Soon, Akira gave a smirk and just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by a sudden armful of Goro. Akira blinked a few times in surprise before taking this chance to circle his arms around the detective and tighten his hold in the pretense of preventing Goro from falling to the ground. Hey, he was taught to be resourceful and not letting any chances to slip by. Gotta made use of what you have right?

“Oi, don’t fucking stand in the middle of the road,” a middle-aged man who bumped into Goro reprimanded the both of them, “Kids these days, no manners at all.” The man strode away while cursing the two teenagers under his breath.

Nevertheless, both Goro and Akira paid no heed to the man. Their mind was more occupied with each other than some stranger being angry at them due to -- admittedly -- their fault. Goro was frozen on the outside while freaking out in his mind, trying to figure out the best way to act when someone was in this kind of situation. He prayed that Akira was not able to hear or feel his pounding heart especially when they were so close to each other right now. The smell of Akira assaulted his nose and Goro would have fallen to the ground from it if not for Akira's tight hold.

On the other hand, Akira was taking this chance to enjoy the close physical contact as much as he could, after all, he was quite sure that such opportunity will not come by so easily again. Being a thief was his calling and sneaky was his middle name, like hell he was not going to make use of such a godsend circumstance.

Goro pushed himself away from Akira, apologizing to the thief as he did so. He kept his face down; mentally trying to will the slight blush that he was sure was present on his face away. Akira unwillingly retraced his arms, already missing the shape of Goro in his arms. At least, he was able to see the cute blush on Goro's face that the detective thought he could hide by attempting to block Akira's sight of view with his bangs.

“Hey, it’s a little late but can I call you Goro?” Akira asked once he made sure he had fully committed the sight of Goro blushing to his heart.

“…It’s fine.” Goro reluctantly agreed. He was not exactly sure what he was supposed to feel by allowing Akira to use his given name, but he didn’t think the soft, fluttering feeling he had was the right one.

… _Right?_

“You too, call me Akira. All of my friends call me by my first name.”

“…Friends?” Goro questioned yet he cannot deny the feeling of elation at Akira’s words. He wished his own heart would calm down just a tiny bit, if not, he may need to pop into a nearby hospital and get his heart checked out in case he got any heart disease.

“Isn’t that what we are?” Akira stated matter-of-factly while fixing his glasses on his face.

“I suppose that’s true,” Goro chuckled after a moment of pause, hand covering his mouth as he laughed nervously. “My apologies, this is new to me.”

“We have time, we can always learn slowly together.”

Goro was well aware that time was something both of them did not have. One of them was going to leave Tokyo in less than a year and the other was probably not even going to live past this year. But, was it wrong for him to delude himself? It was going to be cruel to both sides but maybe he can be a little selfish.

“I’ll be in your care,” unconsciously, Goro gave one of his genuine smiles, “Akira.”

“…urgh,” Akira squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face with his hands, groaning in pain.

“A-Akira!?” Goro panicked, not being sure what caused Akira to react that way. “Are you feeling unwell?”

At first, Akira remained unmoving with his hands still covering his face, making Goro even more concern about him. Slowly, Akira removed his hands as if nothing happened and spoke calmly, “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

Goro gave him a skeptic look and hesitantly replied, “If you say so…but do tell me if you are feeling sick.”

“I promise," Akira said, "Have you eaten yet? The beef bowl shop near here is pretty good.”

“In fact, I have not eaten. Shall we go to the beef bowl shop?”

Akira grinned and nodded his head. He led Goro to the beef bowl shop that was found nearby.

When they were only a few steps away from the entrance of the shop, a man with slicked-back black hair and wearing a black suit walked out and let out a sound of surprise upon seeing Akira before he broke out in a wide smile, “Akira! Have you come here to for your part-time job?”

“Yoshida-san,” Akira bowed as a greeting, “I’m actually here for dinner with a friend.” Akira gestured towards Goro, who took it as a clue to introduce himself.

“Do come and help me again sometime soon, your friend over here is welcome to listen to my speeches as well,” Yoshida gave a kindly smile towards both of the teens, “I will be at the station square if you need me.”

Akira gave a nod to indicate his agreement, waving goodbye to the man.

“You worked here?” Goro asked the moment when they had sat down and ordered their food.

“And some other places, I had to earn my own allowance somehow.”

“I see…” Even if Goro did not know Akira’s past, he understood the implications behind those words. However, since he actually knew about Akira’s past, the implications were basically glaring red lights at this point, “the man just now, how did you know him?” Goro changed the subject. He did know about tact and consideration, _thank you very much_ , especially when it was obvious Akira did not want to talk about it.

“Toranosuke Yoshida, he is trying to get into the political world again. I helped him out occasionally during his speeches at Shibuya station square.”

“I see…So, he is a politician.” Goro muttered under his breath but Akira was close enough to hear his whisper.

“Not a big fan of politicians?”

“Not exactly,” Goro replied, “Things tends to get…messy in the political world.”

“Hmm…” Akira hummed and did not make any more attempts at forcing out more answers from Goro. Goro was honestly quite relieved about it, he had no desire to have a long discussion about any politicians.

“You mentioned that you helped him out, what do you do exactly?”

“I was mostly holding a signboard for him during his speeches.”

“I have doubt that you actually enjoy doing that.”

“He gives great speeches, I can learn quite a lot just by standing there holding a sign.”

“Ah…a give and take situation,” Goro thumbed his chin, “that’s a clever strategy.”

“I guess you could call it that,” Akira petted Morgana absentmindedly, mind wandering off somewhere distant.

Goro sat there, observing Akira petting Morgana while simultaneously avoiding the sharp claws of his cat with surprising high proficiency. 

“Akira! Stop petting me!” The cat hissed angrily, making another useless effort in trying to scratch Akira’s arm. Their actions were amusing to Goro and he cannot help but snickered at their antics, maybe he should have adopted or brought a pet like Akira. It would certainly make his apartment less lonely and more personal, the only problem was that he will no-

Goro halted his train of thought immediately, finally catching on to the unusual thing that happened just a few seconds ago.

_Wait, did the cat just spoke?_

There was no way a cat can speak human language but Goro doubted that he hallucinated the voice. It could be another person and he mistook it for the cat’s but what kind of person would say ‘Akira! Stop petting me!’? No one, that's for sure.

“He’s a quiet cat, isn’t he?” Goro spoke up, in attempt to get the cat to speak again to prove that he was in fact not hearing voices just now.

“Not exactly, he just speaks lesser when there are people around,” Akira shrugged, “he usually is noisy when it’s just me.”

 _Speaks._ Goro mentally picked out the keyword from that one sentence. Hearing an unusual word from Akira did not really prove anything, but it was something. Sure, he had seen many weird things in the Metaverse but meeting a talking cat in the real world? That was certainly a first. He was not sure if Morgana ability to speak was linked to Akira’s power to summon Persona or not but there was no way a talking cat was in any way normal. Just for precaution, he will pretend as if he was not able to hear Morgana speaking.

Goro let the subject dropped; it would be too abnormal for him if he took a sudden interest in Akira’s cat when he did not really ask about Morgana in the times he spent with Akira. He would slowly pry the answer from the mysterious teen beside him and keep an ear out in case the cat chose to speak again. Providing he was not hallucinating. Goro chose to observe both the human and the cat instead of chatting with Akira.

Not soon after, their food arrived and both of them dug in. It was only a few bites in did Goro caught Akira sneaking pieces of beef to Morgana, who was hidden inside Akira’s bag. The amount of beef in Akira’s bowl was repeatedly decreasing and it won’t be long before Akira has no more meat to eat.

Thinking for a moment, Goro took more than half of his own beef slices and put them all into Akira’s bowl. Akira raised an eyebrow at his action, silently questioning him.

“For your cat,” Goro explained, pointing with his chin at the cat wolfing down the pieces of beef Akira just gave him. To be exact, he was actually giving them to Akira but saying that he was giving to his cat was a lot less embarrassing.

“He’s going to get fat,” Akira snickered, but still continued to feed Morgana with pieces of beef. Goro swore the cat just gave Akira the most unimpressed look in the whole world before returning to finish his meal. Goro had no idea how no one noticed a cat poking out of a school bag but he was not going to question it, he had seen weirder things.

“Let me walk you home,” Akira offered, at the instant, they stepped out of the beef bowl store.

“Are we making this a tradition now?” Goro joking asked but he did not disapprove of Akira’s offer to walk him home.

“We can if you want to,” Akira said seriously, a hand nervously running through his messy curls as they walked towards Goro’s apartment.

“I guess that will be nice.” To others, having a tradition was probably nothing much. However, in Goro case, it was something he felt immense joy about. A tradition was typically known as a custom or beliefs that had been passed down from the older generation to the younger generation, it was something Goro will never have. In this case, it was going to be something enjoyable that he got to participate in with another person -- hopefully -- regularly, which was something he yet again, had never experienced before.

The thought brought a smile to his face and he repeated to himself under his breath, “That will be nice.”

He failed to notice the heartbroken expression on Akira’s face that was gone as fast as it came.

Initially, Goro was worried that they may have a repeat of that day at Ogikubo where the day ended quite awkwardly for the both of them. On the contrary, it was pleasant and every now and then, they would lapse into comfortable silence, satisfied with just having each other as a company.

Goro’s apartment was not far from where they were at; it did not take long for them to reach their destination. This was the first time that Goro felt like moving somewhere inconvenient just so that they can spend more time together as they travel.

“See you soon,” Akira gave a few pats on Goro’s head, expression sincere and -- dare he say it -- loving. It did things to Goro’s heart and it made him seriously considered taking a trip down to the local hospital to have a checkup. Akira retracted his hand and placed it in his trouser pocket, turning away as he prepared to leave -- but not before getting a few words in.

“I like you,” Akira spoke the three words so naturally, as if he said that every day to Goro and walked away as if he did not just cause Goro to simultaneously freeze and combust on the very spot he was standing on.

Goro stood there; staring at Akira’s bag where his cat was looking pointedly at him, the nerves in his brain momentary disconnected and stopped linking to each other. He desperately tried to connect them back together again and the moment everything clicked together, all the blood in his body rushed up to his face, turning it a brilliant red. 

He covered his lower face with a hand and let out a soundless scream.

 _What just happened!?_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember guys, Goro is not perfect, and what he does/say may not be the right thing.
> 
> So… we are 7 chapters in and in the story, it’s still June. I went back to the supposedly (because I know I will never follow it to the very last detail) timeline I wrote out and realized I dedicated at least 4 chapters for June while May only has 2 chapters. Oh well, it's fine that way.
> 
> I believe I did not say this before, but constructive criticisms are greatly welcome. Even if you think this story/chapter is terrible and should not exist, feel free to tell me that but do explain why you think that way. 
> 
> Anyway, have a great day and I hope you enjoy this chapter!


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